Our Story
by Blade Seti
Summary: After the events of FFX2, Yuna and Tidus have been reunited. But one last threat to Spira has arisen the last of the Fayth's buried secrets... Together, they start on a final journey to protect their home.
1. Prologue Ending Dream

~Our Story~ By Blade Seti  
  
The characters, critters, world, and pretty much the entire idea, in this fan fiction, belong to Square Enix. I'm writing it because I love both Final Fantasy X and X-2 dearly, and I wanted to write a fanfic that would try to do them justice.  
  
I would greatly appreciate any feed back, or comments, if something seems a bit off, which will probably happen. But I do beg of you, that you don't bomb me with flames if you hate it. Flames do not help a person make their work better. I am happy to accept feed back, but not senseless flames. Those shall be deleted on sight.  
  
This story contains MAJOR spoilers for anyone who has not finished FFX-2 or has not seen both the Good and Perfect endings. So don't get mad when you read this and find the whole thing explained. You have been warned.  
  
Another thing I would like to say before you continue is that this story might take a while to get going. I have an idea for where the story should go, but it may not be very interesting. We'll see how it goes. Feed back is always welcome.  
  
This story is how I saw the endings of the games, and what I thought might happen afterwards. It involves all the main characters from FFX2, but mostly it revolves around Yuna and Tidus. It may start in the FFX time period, but I assure you, it does continue onto FFX-2. To understand this story best, you'll pretty much have to know all of FFX- 2, and FFX. I apologize for not writing a more detailed area about FFX-2, and if it seems skippy. It does have a point. Really. I hope.  
  
And without further ado, here it is.  
  
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~ Prologue ~  
  
The dance was always the same. Spinning with a practiced grace she twirled around and around, her arm and staff swinging in silent beauty. It was always painful, to feel each pyrefly break free and scatter into the air only to ebb away into the sky. Rainbows of color shimmering in the last journey, towards the Farplane. She could feel the spirits calm and then disappear, and though she knew it was better that way, it still saddened her.  
But this time it was a thousand times more painful, despite the knowledge that it was the final time she would have to perform it. With every slow turn she could see the aeons hover in the air around Sin, slowly disappearing into the rainbows as her dance ended their dreams. As each one disappeared, she could no longer feel the link that had always bound them together. The aeons she had fought beside, that had protected her, and that had sacrificed themselves to fight Sin, were gone. But still she danced, as she knew there was nothing else to be done. There was no other choice.  
Fighting the tears, she slowly came to a stop, only to see Sin explode into millions of bright pyreflies. She almost doubted her own eyes.  
  
Sin was truly gone. Like the aeons, it too, had disappeared. A great relief filled her, but it was not enough to overcome the pain she felt in her heart.  
Turning back towards her friends, she saw the wonder in their faces. The amazement that was in their eyes, the disbelief in their faces as they gaped in awe at all the pyreflies. All except one.  
She watched with a dread filling her heart, all the relief suddenly gone. His hands were. fading. Fading like a dream. After a moment he looked up at her, feeling her gaze. She saw the look in his eyes, the words that he had been trying to tell her before when she refused to listen.  
She shook her head violently before he could speak, refusing to accept it. He could not disappear. It could not be true. He had promised to stay with her. His eyes looked sad, but his face seemed to try and hide it. He was fighting it too, but hardly better then she. Neither of them wanted to accept it.  
"No." She heard herself say, shaking her head again at him.  
His face turned apologetic and sad, but still he tried to hide it from her.  
"Yuna, I have to go." He said quickly, though his words were nothing more then ones they both knew he had to say, not what he wanted to. He could not promise what he could not do.  
"I'm sorry I couldn't show you Zanarkand." He added, even more apologetic. His words felt like daggers into her heart. She stared at him in disbelief. He couldn't go. It wasn't true. He paused, then started to walk past her towards the edge of the airship.  
"Goodbye!" The word echoed in her mind as he spoke them, and her eyes followed his movement in a empty gaze. After all that had happened, after all they had been through, he couldn't be leaving?  
"Hey!" Wakka called out after him in surprise, but Tidus did not stop.  
"We're going to see you again.?" Rikku asked, but the doubt in her voice could not be hidden.  
He continued to walk to the edge of the airship without a glance back. Yuna struggled against herself and the emotions that were swirling around her mind in a whirlwind. It wasn't. it couldn't be. he couldn't leave her. Why was he going? It all fell away suddenly and she couldn't hold herself together any longer. She found herself running towards him, unable to hold back the tears that were forming in her eyes. As exhausted as she was, she ran without care towards him. She had to reach him, she had to stop him. He couldn't leave her.  
"Yuna!" Kimarhi shouted after her, but she refused to hear it. Tidus stopped and turned just in time for Yuna to reach him. She reached her arms out for him, wanting to feel the comfort of their embrace again. To let her know that it wasn't true and he was real.  
She passed through him as if he was not even there. Her legs failing her she fell to the ground behind him. Her heart wailed inside of her, as the truth began to come to a reality. She could not even touch him. Lying on the cold, heartless metal, she could not bring herself to move. Her heart was pounding, and ever beat felt as if she would die. As she lay motionless, she saw a pyrefly float up in front of her eyes, heading towards it's final journey. The rainbow glittered in her eyes, another sad reminder of everything that was happening. Moments that felt like years passed by, until she finally found the strength to regain control. A tear rolled down her face as she slowly ordered her body to move again. Pushing herself up, she slowly stood.  
Looking out over the field of light that Sin's body had created, she struggled against the tears. She could not stop this. He was going to disappear, and leave her. There was no more time left for them, only the memories would be left. There was so much she wanted to say, so much she wanted to express. But she had run out of time.  
"I love you." She whispered softly, looking up to the pyreflies that were slowly disappearing into the night sky. The words had been inside of her for so long, but she had never found the courage to speak them. She'd never known if they meant anything. But suddenly, they were all she wanted to say.  
She stared out at the fields of light, unable to do anything more. Words abandoned her and she could only fight back the tears. He was leaving.  
Suddenly she felt him behind her, and she saw his arms wrap around her shoulders. For a brief moment, she could feel him again. She felt the warmth of the embrace and heard him breathe. She felt her heart lift, as cherished the moment.  
As suddenly as it had come, it was gone. He slowly put his arms down, and then passed through her. For one split second she could feel him, as if their spirits seemed to touch, but before she could understand it he was standing in front of her. Tears began to flow down her face as she watched him begin to run towards the edge, not looking back again. Then he jumped, and fell into the field of light.  
He was gone.  
She felt everything inside of her suddenly collapse, and the tears would not stop. She fell to her knees and covered her face with her hands. There was a long silence before she heard her friends begin to speak among themselves. Rikku came up beside her and put a hesitant hand on her shoulder to comfort her. Yuna barely felt her cousin's touch. All she could feel was the embrace, the embrace she'd never feel again.  
He was gone. 


	2. Chapter 1 A New Beginning

Again, I don't own FFX, FFX-2, or any of the characters in them. This is just a story I'm writing as I go along. Don't expect anything flashy. I'm just writing how I saw the story. It WILL pick up, just give it time. Comments are welcome. Senseless flames are not.  
  
Just a warning, I haven't had much experience uploading stuff, so if the format is all screwy and hard to read, please inform me and I'll try to fix it, somehow.  
  
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Chapter 1 - (Two years later)  
  
Yuna drew in a deep breath of the fresh air. Putting her fingers to her lips, she let the breath out in a long whistle that called out over the water. She stood silent for a moment, listening to the gulls cry and the ocean roll against Luca's docks. She felt disheartened, but she had not expected an answer. She sighed and turned away from the ocean, heading towards the airship that was resting at the docks.  
This was finally it. The day when she became a Sphere Hunter. Rikku was already coming to greet her, skipping out onto the dock's landing and waving her arms wildly in the air towards her cousin. Yuna couldn't help but smile.  
The morning was still quiet, it seemed Luca hadn't quite woken up yet. With Blitzball out of season, there wasn't very many crowds around, so people didn't really have a reason to get up early. It was the best time to slip away more or less unnoticed, though Yuna still wondered if it was a good idea to leave at all.  
She had left Besaid a few days ago, traveling to Kilka, then to Luca. The airship would have disturbed everyone on Besaid Island, and she didn't want them to know she was going. So the best solution was to meet in Luca, where the airship would be met with curiosity, but no massing crowds. And of course, no Lulu or Wakka to tell her not to go or offer advice. She dearly loved them as family, but she had to do this journey on her own.  
Walking towards her flailing cousin, she smiled more and recalled the events that had brought her to this point. It had been a painful time, the last two years. She had slowly come to terms with what had happened, though she never spoke of it. Everyone tried their best to comfort her, and not to mention the events. But they were burned into Yuna's mind to the point she would never forget them.  
Life hadn't been very eventful after she had given her speech to the people of Spira, after the defeat of Sin. They had wanted her to become their leader, but she had refused. Now they treated her like she was above them, almost as if they worshipped her. Perhaps some of them did. But she was tired of it, and she didn't want to face it each day. So she quietly left Luca and returned to Besaid, for the first time in her life free of the burden of Sin and facing a free life ahead of her. She had needed time to think, time to enjoy the peace and quiet life in the village she had known while growing up.  
But it wasn't the same anymore. The peacefulness was empty and the quiet was deafening. She felt empty and alone. Most of her days were spent sitting on the beach, staring off into the ocean. Lulu and the others had worried greatly for a while, but eventually they seemed to believe she was healing. Kimarhi left to become the Elder of his lost people, Wakka and Lulu were married, and Rikku left for Bikanel on Al Bhed business. Amid all the changes, Yuna realized that she had to change too. A new life lay in front of her, with no more worries of saving Spira or having the Calm run out. After a year, she began to become more cheerful again. She shed her old life, but hung on to the memories that were important to her. She still grieved inside, but she sought to keep going anyway.  
Over the course of the next year, many people came from all over Spira to speak with her about various things. Many were the same, always asking if she would come to Luca and lead the people, or if she would move to Bevelle and settle the problems with the Yevonites and their lost faith. But she refused it all, she didn't want to leave Besaid and she saw no reason to go. Let someone else solve the problems of Spira, she had done her part, she didn't know how to run things.  
Then came the offers of marriage. At first she was upset, and refused them outright. After a while she began to calm down and refused them more politely, but firmly. They wished to marry her for what she was to them, the High Summoner. They felt they loved her because of what she had done for Spira. But she felt nothing for them, not any of the men that came. Eventually they stopped coming, and she began to settle back down into life in Besaid, not content but striving to be happy.  
Time went by, and as it reached the two year point, she began to realize she had the cravings for adventure again. She often felt restless, and though she loved the village dearly, she needed a change. Something was missing.  
So when Rikku appeared with a mysterious sphere that Kimarhi had found, Yuna was quick to jump at the idea of going on a search for more. The images inside the sphere surprised her and made her spirit rise. It looked like him. But how could it be? She tried not to get her hopes up, but the image haunted her dreams. Was he alive, somehow?  
There was no way she could let the matter rest.  
Accepting Rikku's invitation to join the Gullwings, she finally decided to start another journey. But this time, she wouldn't be going on a mission to save Spira. She wouldn't have to worry about all her guardians, or the fact that she would die once she reached the end of it. This time, she could enjoy herself. And maybe, somehow, she'd find him.  
"Yunie!" Rikku shouted, bouncing up and down and hugging her cousin. "I thought you weren't coming!" Yuna smiled and hugged Rikku back, pushing her thoughts to the back of her head. She could sort them out later, now she had to keep herself focused, or she'd miss something.  
"I'm sorry, Rikku, but the boat from Kilka was running a bit late. We ran into a fiend along the way." Rikku grinned and opened her mouth to reply, when a tall figure walked out onto the docks beside her. Rikku shut her mouth and spun around to face the woman.  
"Yunie, this is Paine! Paine, this is Yunie!" The woman regarded Rikku with a cool and unimpressed gaze. Then she looked to Yuna and nodded slightly, but said nothing. Yuna was slightly taken aback by the coldness, but Rikku didn't give her time to have a chance to say anything to the woman.  
"Come on, Yunie, we've wasted enough time already! Let's go hunt some spheres!" To this Paine rolled her eyes, then started up the ramp into the airship. Yuna blinked in surprise, wondering why the woman seemed so. distant. She almost seemed like she didn't want to be here. Then why was she with the Gullwings?  
Running up the ramp after Rikku, she decided to ask Rikku about it later. Maybe Paine was just having a bad day. In any case, she wouldn't let herself be bothered by it. She was in too good of a mood to feel down. Today her adventure was starting, and she wanted to enjoy as much of it as she could. Even though the one person she wanted to be with her wasn't, she would try to continue on.  
Rikku led her up to the bridge, where she was introduced to the rest of the Gullwing crew.  
"This is Shinra, he's our resident wonder kid. Any kind of machina, you name it, he knows all about it. He even invents stuff, though it's not always useful." Rikku chattered on, waving her arm towards a young boy sitting in a overly large chair in front of various machina consoles. He turned and waved, and Yuna was surprised to see that his entire body was covered in a suit, even his face.  
"Pleased to meet you." He nodded politely, then turned back to the glowing console  
"And this is Buddy! He's our pilot." Rikku waved towards the dark man standing nearby the pilot's seat. Goggles covered his eyes from view but there was a smile on his face.  
"Nice to see you again!" He said cheerfully. Yuna frowned a little, and tried to remember.  
"Again?" She finally asked apologetically, and his smile went away.  
"I was on the airship two years ago, when you defeated Sin?"  
Her mind drew a blank and she looked even more apologetic. "I'm sorry, I don't remember." He looked disappointed, but didn't say anything else. Rikku ignored them and waved her hand in Paine's direction.  
"And you already met Paine! She's our. um. warrior! She's new too, so don't worry if you feel lost, you and Paine can help each other out!"  
"If you're lost, that's your problem." Paine said coldly, staring at a point on the wall.  
Rikku's face fell and she edged closer to Yuna, whispering into her ear.  
"Don't mind her, she's just a bit grouchy. We don't really know much about her. I sure hope she's not always like this."  
"Don't get your hopes up." Apparently either Rikku wasn't quiet enough, or Paine had very good hearing.  
Rikku shot a teasing glare at Paine, then dragged Yuna away.  
"And that's the crew!" She announced happily, swinging her arms around the bridge with a flourish.  
"Rikku!" Shouted a voice, and someone suddenly dived into the room, screeching Al Bhed in Rikku's general direction.  
Rikku sighed in annoyance as the man stood up and dusted himself off. Waving his arms in the air he turned to Rikku, looking very odd as he started to shout something at her.  
"And you've already met Brother." Rikku said, completely ignoring him with a smile.  
"Oh! I remember, you flew our airship two years ago." Yuna smiled, extending her hand to Brother as he turned to face her.  
Instead of taking her hand, he suddenly twisted himself into an odd position and started muttering something in Al Bhed. He reached for her hand hesitantly, but acted as if it he was having great difficulty moving. Uncertain how to react, she looked over to Rikku.  
"Stop that already!" Rikku shouted, and started kicking her brother in the ribs. Buddy came up beside them and just shook his head with a laugh.  
"Don't mind him, he's just dumb." Rikku finally concluded, turning away from Brother and crossing her arms.  
"I am also Captain!" Brother shouted from his place on the ground, giving his sister an angry glare.  
"Captain?" Yuna asked raising her eyebrows in surprise.  
Rikku gave a loud sigh and crossed her arms. "He thinks just because he started the Gullwings, he can be the Captain. But he doesn't really do much around here."  
"Why you!" Brother shouted, and then continued on in Al Bhed. Rikku bantered back at him, and Buddy just shook his head.  
"You better get used to this, they do it a lot." He said, then turned away and headed towards the pilot's seat. "I'm going to get us up into the air, if we hang around Luca anymore we're just going to attract unwanted attention."  
Yuna seemed to be the only one who heard him, as Rikku and Brother continued to fight, and Paine walked out of the room in disgust.  
It wasn't quite what she had expected. But things were definitely going to be interesting. With a grin, she turned towards the window and watched as they soared up out of Luca. The guilt she had felt about leaving was suddenly gone, and all she felt was the excitement of what was happening.  
And in the back of her mind, the small hope continued to wait, holding tight to the memories and the image that was held in the sphere. 


	3. Chapter 2 Secrets of the Farplane

First off, BIG THANKS, to everyone who commented on the first two chapters, you have inspired me to continue on with this. 

As usual, I don't own FFX-2, or anything FF, or anything belonging to Square Enix. I'm just, um, borrowing.

Apologies for not going straight to the end of FFX-2, I just wanted to write a few bits that I saw as kind of important to the game, and really wanted to write them. Next chapter, I promise, will be the reunion.

Now… I debated about making this story talk about Lenne and Shuyin, and how they're connected to Tidus/Yuna, but I've finally come to the choice that, if I did that, it'd be hideously long and probably confusing. So, it's just Yuna and Tidus. I'll leave the Lenne/Shuyin stories to those who like to write them. Not that I didn't like the story, I just don't want to write it in this. So I've pretty much cut it out completely. Apologies.

If it seems like I'm skipping too much, or the story doesn't make sense the way I'm doing it, please tell me and I'll do something about it. This chapter was hell to write, trying to figure out what to write and what to leave. I'm not proud of this chapter, but it's done.

About updating- I'll try to update at the very least, once or twice a week. Hopefully more, but I can't promise anything because I'm juggling a lot of stuff right now. 

Now! I'm shutting up! Here's Chapter 2!

(The set up for this page is different from the previous too. This is because I figured out a better way to upload the files… so it looks different, but more like I wanted it to, less stuffed together. I hope it's not too confusing.)

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Chapter 2-(Two months later)

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(AN: This chapter takes place directly after Yuna's fall into the Farplane. I was going to write that part, but it proved to be too long and didn't work out with my future plans for the story. So instead, this chapter serves as a mini review, and Yuna's feelings about what has happened.)

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Sitting on the edge of her bed in the cabin, Yuna looked down at the sphere in her lap with little emotion on her face. The sphere was playing, but she wasn't watching. She knew it too well, she had seen it too many times before, captivated by the hope that the contents were what she wished them to be.

_'But they're not._' She thought, and the world seemed to darken a little around her.

_'It's not you. It looks like you, but it isn't. It's someone I don't even know. He just looks like you.'_

Slowly setting the sphere down on bed, she lay back with a sigh. Outside the sky was dark and the stars were sparkling brightly. Over in the other two beds, Paine and Rikku were sleeping. Though Paine slept quietly and looked almost dead she was so motionless, Rikku was a constant churning turmoil of movement. It seemed the Al Bhed could never get comfortable in the beds, even though she was fast asleep. Yuna smiled a little. Her cousin never seemed to get tired, and even when she was sleeping, she was bouncing around.

But the distraction of her roommates did not last for long. Very quickly her mind returned to where it had been. The sphere glinted in the moonlight beside her, but she made no move to touch it. She had watched it so many times before, and now she felt as if she wanted nothing to do with it.

_'It's not you.'_ The miserable thought dragged itself through her head again and plummeted her mood down even further. She felt like crying, but she didn't want to wake Rikku or Paine up. She didn't want to have them see her crying all the time. She didn't want to cry all the time, even though the urge to was hard to resist in the turn of recent events. 

Closing her eyes she tried to forget the events of the day, wishing she could just fall asleep and escape all of it. Though now she was even wary of her dreams, never knowing when she might have another nightmare from emotions that didn't even belong to her, or of seeing the tortured forms of the Aeons die. Everything just felt too overwhelming.

Then the sound of the whistling echoed back into her mind. Snapping her eyes open she sat up abruptly. When she had woken up in Bevelle, she hadn't been able to remember how she got there. Suddenly the memory was flooding back into her mind.

What did it mean? She knew she didn't imagine it, she'd heard all the whistles clearly. She'd seen the figure walking ahead of her, just out of reach, and too far away for her to make out what the figure looked like. But she'd felt something then, a reassuring feeling, completely unexplainable. It was him. She didn't know how she knew, but the truth just sat there in her mind and prodded her with it's clarity. Somehow, someway, it had been him, leading her out of the Farplane and to safety.

Falling backwards again onto her bed she let her breath out in a long sigh. But it still didn't make any sense, and it still didn't answer any questions. If she saw him in the Farplane like that, all it meant was that he was truly no longer alive, and just a memory was dwelling on the Farplane.

Now she really felt like she wanted to cry.

Covering her face with her hands she forced herself to stop, and tried to calm down, but to no avail. First the discovery of Shuyin being the man in the sphere, now the knowledge that all that was left of Tidus was a shadow of a memory on the Farplane.

Dragging herself into bed, she pulled the covers high up to her chin, and tried to nestle down into the soft bedding. Tomorrow would no doubt be another busy, confusing day. She had to be ready for it, even if she did feel like crying. She had to save the tears until she knew what was really going on, when she finally had the answers she needed. 

_'When I finally figure out if I need to let go of the memory.'_

Shutting her eyes tight, she forced her rampaging thoughts from her mind and tried to fall asleep. But with Rikku's endless movement, and the thoughts overtaking her mind once more, she soon found that it was impossible. 

Sighing, she threw off the covers and stormed down the stairs, heading to the elevator. If she couldn't sleep, then there wasn't any point in staying in bed to let her thoughts assault her.

Heading up onto the deck, she was surprised by the warmness of the air. Taking it as a good sign, she walked out slowly to the middle of the deck, and looked up to the stars. Standing silently, she let go of her thoughts and lost herself in watching the stars, trying to see patterns in them. Anything to get her mind off everything else.

"Yuna?" Asked a voice, and she turned around to see Brother poking his head out onto the deck. "What are you doing up here? It is dangerous!" He cried, walking over to her quickly. She smiled at him and looked back up to the stars.

"I was having trouble sleeping, so I came up to get some fresh air. I'm sorry to worry you."

He didn't say anything for a long moment, and seemed to take great delight in looking up at the stars as well. But after a few moments, his patience with it seemed to die and he threw his arms down, suddenly pacing the deck. Yuna looked down from the stars and watched him silently, wondering what it was he was doing. 

"Yuna, I…" He started, then stopped abruptly, and rubbed his head with his hands.

"Yes, Brother?" She asked, curious to what he was having so much trouble saying.

"I… uh… It is unimportant!" He suddenly exclaimed, and headed towards the elevator. She watched him as he went, wondering what in the world it was he had been trying to say. It had sounded like it was important to him, but he seemed to act as if he was too embarrassed to speak.

When he was gone, she sighed and sat down on the deck. Lying back, she stared up at the stars sightlessly. The thoughts had started to haunt her again.

Closing her eyes, she tried to block them out.

Then another memory filtered in and over powered her defenses.

Shuyin had embraced her in the Farplane, though it was more he was embracing the memory of his lost love that somehow he saw in Yuna. But the embrace had upset her, both because of his close appearance to Tidus and the warmth of it. As he held her, all she could feel inside was the urge to push him away, to tell him not to touch her. It had felt so wrong, and she had felt almost guilty for not trying to stop him. But at the same time, she had felt an overwhelming feeling of happiness, of relief, and of love. But it wasn't him. It was Shuyin she was embracing.

"Why am I feeling like this?" She said aloud, sitting up angrily and shaking her head in frustration. "Aren't my own feelings enough? Why do I have to feel hers too?" She asked up at the stars, tears forming in her eyes. 

Pulling her knees up she rested her chin on them, shutting her eyes and wiping away the tears. "I'm sorry." She said aloud, as if just saying it would let him hear it. She wanted to tear out the image of Shuyin in her mind, but she found herself unable to. The other feelings inside of her were too strong, and hung onto it with a grip of steel.

"I don't want to feel what Lenne felt!" She shouted, shaking her head violently in frustration. But it wouldn't go away, no matter what she did. Blinking away tears, she slowly lifted her head to take one last look up at the stars before she headed back down to the cabin.

In her mind she could picture his face clearly, and even after two long years, she could still feel their last embrace. But other images were clouding her mind, and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't push them away.

"I'm so sorry."

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Vegnagun had been defeated. Shuyin and Lenne, reunited, and gone to rest forever. As Yuna walked across the Farplane's field of flowers, she finally felt at peace. No longer did she have the emotions of Lenne swarming around her, nor the question of who the man in the sphere was. Now it was all clear, though the truth somewhat saddened her. Her hopes of finding Tidus now were slipping away, though she refused to let go of the memory of him. 

Taking a deep breath, she paused as her friends continued on, through the portal and back to the waiting airship. Turning slowly around, Yuna watched the pyreflies wander aimlessly around the sky.

_'I wonder, if I can see him here.'_ She thought, but somehow she doubted it. If he had been truly a dream, he wouldn't be here. He wouldn't be anywhere. Sighing she hung her head, trying to stay happy with the knowledge she'd kept Spira out of danger again, but unable to let go of her own loneliness. She hadn't wanted to save the world again, it just had planted itself in her lap. Now that it was all over, she was back to where she had been. But this time, she had no hope of a sphere.

Turning back towards the portal, she slowly made her way towards it when something suddenly pierced the air. A whistle. She stopped and spun around, trying to see where it had come from. Nothing but pyreflies could be seen, and the misty waterfalls flowing from the islands.

Just as she began to wonder if she had imagined it, another whistle called through the air. Still seeing nothing, she looked down to the flowers to see a large group of pyreflies suddenly forming.

Together they formed together, and revealed someone Yuna had not expected. She tried to hide her disappointment, but she doubted the Fayth would have believed her even if she had been able to smile.

"Thanks." He said quietly, a smile to be seen from underneath his hood.

"You're very welcome." She bowed politely, meaning every word she said. 

"You heard it, didn't you." The boy spoke, and somehow Yuna felt a hint of a smile in his voice. She simply nodded. They both knew what he had meant.

"Do you want to see him?" 

Yuna's heart leaped, but she fought to control herself. Maybe he wasn't talking about what she thought. She couldn't get her hopes up, not after all this. She didn't want to go home broken hearted again.

"Him?" She asked quietly, only daring to believe in her heart that the Fayth was serious.

"Yes. You want to walk together again?" The Fayth continued, almost as if he somehow saw into her mind. Her heart was suddenly beating fast, and she struggled to calm herself. It couldn't be true, after all this time, that it would be this easy? That after all that had happened, the answer had been right in front of her? She didn't dare to hope, or think about what the Fayth meant. 

Swallowing all of her raging emotions and the impulse to cry out her answer, she simply nodded. The Fayth nodded back to her, and as he spoke he already began to disappear.

"I can't promise anything, but we'll see what we can do." With a glimmer of light, the pyreflies separated and the image of the boy was gone. Disappearing into thin air, soon even the pyreflies could not be seen. Surprised by his abrupt disappearance, Yuna found herself suddenly wanting to ask him what he had meant, if it was truly possible she could see him again. But the Fayth was no where to be seen, and a voice inside of her told her it was better to wait and see. The Fayth had said, that he couldn't promise her that it would work. Maybe they wouldn't be able too.

Despite all the questions running through her mind, all she could do was smile. Slowly turning away from where the Fayth had been, she walked towards the portal. She didn't look back as she passed by the waterfalls, the flowers, and the beautiful sky of the Farplane. What she had come to do was finished, and she did not belong in this place of spirits. It was time to go home.

"You sure look happy. Where were you?" Rikku asked, leaning towards Yuna with a questioning smile. Standing in the middle of the bridge, Yuna tried to hide her own smile but found she couldn't. They were on their way back to Luca, to drop Gippal, Nooj, and Baralai off to address the people of Spira. Yuna had been the last on board, and everyone had wondered what had kept her. But she refused to answer them, only giving a shy smile and walking to the bridge.

"Just on the Farplane." She replied softly, looking out of the window to the sky. Rikku gave a frustrated groan of annoyance, and prodded her cousin with her finger.

"Come on, Yunie, tell us what happened! Or I won't share my secrets with you!" She added with a mischievous grin. Yuna only smiled back at her and kept her mouth shut.

"Aw, give her a break already, you've asked her that about a thousand times in the last two minutes. Why don't you go sit down and be quiet like a good little girl?" Gippal chided, walking over to them and towering over Rikku. To this Rikku glared, and waved her hands as if brushing off a fly.

"I'm not little! Don't tell me what to do! You think you're so important, just because you run the Machine Faction. Well if you ask me-" She started, but was cut off when Gippal laughed.

"The thing is, I didn't ask you." Rikku gave a shriek and smacked him, but he only kept laughing.

"Can you two stop bickering?" Paine growled from her place in the corner. Rikku stuck her tongue out at the warrior and then began chattering at Gippal in Al Bhed. Gippal just kept laughing, and added a few comments in his defense when she paused to take a breath.

Rolling her eyes, Paine sighed and looked over to Nooj.

"You think it's going to work, this speech of yours? Do you think they'll actually settle down and listen while their leaders tell them they led them wrong?"

Nooj shrugged a little, then shook his head. "I don't know. But it's all we can do. From what I hear, Yuna helped settle them down already. They're willing to listen now, something they weren't ready to do before."

"So what do you plan to do now? Go back to leading factions? Sit and wait for the next conflict?" Paine continued, raising an eyebrow at the three of them.

"We don't want conflict in Spira. It seems that if we do lead factions, conflict is inevitable. The only solution may be that we join together and try to form a new Spira." Baralai spoke up, turning to look over to Paine who avoided his gaze.

"Isn't that a bit like Yevon? One set of people ruling Spira and calling the shots?" The warrior asked with a frown. 

"We don't want to make that mistake again. What we hope, is that we can form an agreement of leaders, who will be able to work together for the better of Spira. Not just one ruler, from one faction, ruling over everyone."

"So you'll create a council." Everyone turned to Yuna at the sound of her voice. Nooj nodded.

"We hope so, or something like it. It may be the only answer, as there are so many different people that all must be heard. The Ronso, the Guado, the Al Bhed, the Yevonites, and the Youth League. Spira can never hope to become one if we all stay away from each other. That can only lead to war. If we stick together, then maybe things will go smoother. That is what we hope, at least." 

"It sounds like a good idea." Yuna looked away, back to the sky outside the airship. Her mind was not on the subject, though she still felt a pull towards the people of Spira. She wanted to make sure it would go smoothly, but she didn't want to become so involved. Not again.

"Of course it's a good idea! That's because my Noojie-Woojie thought of it." Leblanc announced, walking out of the hallway and onto the bridge. Paine rolled her eyes, and Yuna couldn't help but giggle.

"There goes any hope of an intelligent conversation." Paine muttered under her breath.

As Leblanc came up beside Nooj and began swooning at him, and Gippal and Rikku continued to argue, Yuna found her mood becoming lighter. Finally, everything was going back to the way it had been. Peaceful and happy, though somewhat noisy. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With a slow fade, Bahamut rejoined the other Fayth who dwelled within the heart of the Farplane. Though there was no real leader between them, Bahamut was looked to as the one who had the best ideas and the most power over dreams and speaking to mortals. As they had felt the release of Shuyin's tortured spirit, he had left to speak one last time to the mortals who were leaving the Farplane.

"Well?" Asked Ixion, looking to the young boy.

"Shuyin and Lenne have finally gone to rest. Vegnagun has been destroyed, and all the mortals have gone from the Farplane."

"Then these are good tidings, and we may rest again." Shiva murmured, looking over to the other Fayth who surrounded the boy.

He hesitated at her words, and to this she raised an eyebrow. "You have more words to share?" She asked, voicing the thought of all Fayth gathered.

"It was Yuna and her friends who defeated Vegnagun and led Shuyin to rest." A silence fell on the gathering and for a long while, no one spoke.

"She has done much for us, and Spira." Ifrit's rough voice spoke almost fondly, as he looked to the ground and seemed lost in thought.

"She wishes to see him again. And I told her that we will try." Bahamut concluded, looking to every Fayth for their reaction.

"What? Why did you tell her that?" Cindy frowned, crossing her arms and looking unhappy.

"We have already dreamed enough for Spira. When our forms in Spira died, so did we to the eyes of all who dwell in it. Even she did not know we still were alive until Shuyin destroyed the peace. Let her forget the simple dream." Yojimbo spoke harshly, shaking his head.

"Have you forgotten what she has done for us?" Shiva suddenly snarled, giving the warrior a sharp look. "She was ready to die for Spira to bring a calm that would never last, when she found another way with the help of that simple dream, as you call it. She released us from our bonds. Now we are no longer chained to Spira and trapped in an endless sleep, always to fight Sin and watch our summoners die. That time is over. Now we are free and no longer bound to that cruel destiny, all thanks to her. And you would give her no thanks? You, like all the others, who swore to protect and love the people of Spira as a Fayth?"

"The time of summoning is over. We have nothing more to give to the world of Spira." Cindy argued.

"Have you lost all care for Spira?" Anima cut in calmly, her eyes burning through the minds of all the Fayth gathered. "A simple dream is not difficult. It can be our gift to her, and then we may rest forever here. If we all gather the dream, it shall not be an ordeal. It is only one dream."

"Shared by all of us, it will not trap us as did the dream of Zanarkand and all of it's people." Ifrit mused aloud, then looked up to Bahamut who had not spoken for a long while.

"Then we shall try?" He asked simply, looking around the Fayth. Slowly, they all nodded, save Yojimbo who merely stood in the corner with a dark look upon his face.

"All of us must work together if this will be complete." Valefor spoke softly. "Will you not for once give up your love for money and yourself to show kindness to one who freed you from your trappings?"

After a long moment of uncomfortable silence, Yojimbo finally came forward. "I will do this one thing. But no more." 

"Thank you." Shiva whispered, bowing her head. 

"Then we will begin?" Ifrit asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. Let us try. If all goes well, and her will is strong enough to believe, the dream will be hers and we will not have to bind ourselves to it fully." Slowly, all the Fayth came together in a circle, and silence again overtook the Farplane, as pyreflies floated aimlessly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Thanks for dropping us off." Baralai smiled as he, Nooj, Gippal, Leblanc, Ormi, and Logos walked off the airship and onto Luca's docks.

"How about staying for the party?" Gippal grinned, turning around to face Yuna. "They'd love to see you there. Seeing as you keep saving the world." His voice had a joking tone, but Yuna knew he was serious about wanting her to stay. He was right, the people of Spira would love to see her again, and ask her to give them a speech just like she had two years ago. Turning away from them, she wondered what she should do. Paine and Rikku watched her with questioning looks, but didn't say anything. Paine looked as if she just wanted to go someplace quiet, where as Rikku was bouncing at the word party.

_'But what do I want?' _Yuna asked herself, putting her hand to her chin thoughtfully. This time, she wasn't going to do what everyone else wanted her to do. She had left all that behind when she'd left Besaid at the start of her adventure. She had to stop doing what everyone wanted, or expected, her to do. 

Twirling around with a smile, she shook her head. "It's time for me to go home!" Grinning, she gave them a little wave, then headed back towards the Celsius and her companions. She heard Gippal laugh behind her, but no objections were voiced.

Her heart soaring, she walked up the airship's ramp and headed towards the elevator. Behind her Paine followed without hesitation, but she could hear Rikku giving a groan of disappointment, and aiming one last insult at Gippal. Skipping up the ramp she too finally followed them, and behind her the ramp shut with a dull thud. 

"Brother, let's go home!" Yuna shouted with a grin, as she walked onto the bridge. He responded with a crazy yell and before he'd finished it they were already lifting up off the water. 

"I'm going onto the deck." Yuna announced to no one in particular, and turning around, headed back towards the elevator.

"The deck?" Paine repeated, looking somewhat surprised. "What for?" 

Yuna gave no reply, and continued down the hall, feeling almost as if she wanted to skip. The world seemed so much brighter now, for some reason. All the questions and the worry were behind her, and no longer important. Spira was safe, and she was ready for another dose of peace and quiet. And maybe, somehow, in the future, she'd know what the Fayth had meant. Maybe she'd get to see him, one more time.

Walking out onto the deck, she stretched and leaned against the wind. The fresh air was so refreshing, she was surprised to realize how suffocating the Farplane had seemed. Cold and dead, though enchantingly beautiful. The memory was not pleasant in her mind, and she found herself pushing it away. 

_'This is where I belong. Here, where everything is alive. This is home. Spira.' _

Though she felt happiness, there was still a part inside of her that was not content. _'I just wish you could be here with me.'_ Still smiling, she closed her eyes and let the wind buffet her face with it's soft caress. Somewhere inside of her, she felt hope, more hope then she had when she had started out on her journey. And though a part of her told her not to get her hopes up in fear of disappointment, she found she could not stop herself. Opening her eyes, she looked out into sky above her, and the blue expanse of water below. 

Already, Yuna could see the familiar sight of Besaid on the horizon. 


	4. Chapter 3 Reunion

Yay! Thank you so much, all of you, for all the lovely reviews! I can't tell you how much that means to me… and how it motivates me to continue this. *passes out cookies* Sorry this chapter took a while to do, I wanted to make sure it was right, and I was kinda busy with the never ending hysteria called life.

Phew… here it is, finally! Soo, this is what you've been asking for and I've been dying to write. Finally! Got! Here! I loved this scene in the game… so much. Made me so happy. Thank you Square Enix. Thank you. (And as we all know… yes… I don't own FFX-2, all that belongs to Square Enix. Alright! Now that that's over with…)

As for this fic itself… I've debated over if it should end here, or continue on a bit. Well, I've decided in the latter… but it MAY not be too interesting, so we'll see how it goes? 

I know Square intended the story to end where it did, and I probably shouldn't even be writing more because there's nothing more to write, but I feel the need to. Soo, we'll see how it goes. It probably won't be anything too long, but… just a look at the characters one last time. Because I love the FFX /FFX-2 story too darn much. X_x

But anyway, if it doesn't look like it's well liked, I'll just cut it out and end it here. Got a plot in mind, nothing as disasteriffic (as Rikku would put it) as Sin or Vegnagun, but just something that gives me an excuse to write more. Whee! XD

I just hope I don't ruin the story or make it dull. 

If you think strongly I should or shouldn't continue, please say so in your comments… that'll be the deciding factor in this story's fate. I won't continue if nobody is interested in reading more. Sooo…

(And yes, I know I haven't included any of the Perfect Ending details yet… that'll be in chapter 4, most likely. Sorry!! )

Pleeease! Comments! They help so much!

Anyhow, here it is, Chapter 3 and Beyond!

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Chapter 3

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How or when he began to start feeling conscious again, he didn't know. It felt as if stepping out of a dream, and back into the waking world. Or perhaps, that was really what had happened. 

One moment he was in a world that seemed, somehow, fake, or dreary, in comparison to the world he had left behind. He'd wished countless times that he could be free of this fake world once more, and return to _there_. 

And then, suddenly, it all seemed real again. The veil lifted, and the world he'd known since he was a child melted away, like it had once before, though less violently. He'd been pulled from the world last time, against his will. This time, it felt like escaping a world he could no longer stand. It felt as though he'd fallen asleep, and a countless amount of time had passed during his sleep.

Then, he awoke. The first thing he was aware of was distant whispers, blurred by the sound of water. Whispers from the small clusters of rainbows he had learned were called Pyreflies. They flowed around him, and as more time passed, he became more aware of them. One passed by his head, and broke the spell completely.

_'Pyreflies? Why are there pyreflies?'_

The sound of water became more defined. The pyreflies disappeared into the darkness, and then light began to spread into his eyes. Around him he could feel the water, warm and very real. More light filtered through the darkness, and soon all he could see was the bottom of the sandy ocean bottom.

_'Zanarkand doesn't have any oceans this shallow.'_ The thought spoke to him, dully moving through his head as his mind began to too, awake.

Stretching, he found that he could move his body, and the resistance that he felt was truly the familiar feel of water. So it was not just a figment of his imagination. But was it real, or still the endless dream? 

Looking around him, he could see endless, clear blue ocean. Below it, in an equally endless horizon, was a sandy bottom, white with speckled rocks carrying various marine life. The rocks seemed oddly familiar. As if he'd been there before, once. Memories faded out of the dream and returned to him, and then it began to make more sense.

By this time, he was fully aware of everything around him. The dream that he had been in was drifting away, as if it had been nothing more then a dream. He found himself leaving it behind, and all of his focus went to his surroundings.

Looking up, he saw the familiar sight of sunlight hitting the ocean's surface. Somehow it seemed familiar. The sky was clear and blue, with pure white clouds drifting across it. Pushing himself up towards it, the end of the dream and the waking began to take a hold on him.

_'It can't be…'_ He thought, though a feeling inside of him reassured him that it was. Pushing up faster, he finally broke the surface of the water with a gasp. 

The air was sweet and fresh, filled with the friendly taste of the ocean and tangy scent of tropical plants nearby. Gulls cried out as they sailed overhead, calling to each other as if wondering where the strange person had come from so suddenly. 

Treading in the water, he slowly turned around to face where he could hear the gulls. For a moment, everything inside of him came to a hold. It felt almost as if his heart had skipped a beat and time had stood still.

Filled with doubt but also with an almost giddy happiness, he put his fingers to his lips and let a shrill whistle echo over the water and towards the island. There was no sign of anyone on the beach, nor any sound of a reply. He was somewhat disappointed not to hear an answer, but realized that he was quite far away from the island.

Taking in a deep breath to calm his racing mind, he floated out onto his back, and stared up at the sky above him. It was all the same as he remembered. The sky, the sounds, the island, even the cry of the gulls. He was truly back. Back in the Spira he'd felt was more home to him then his Spira.

Enjoying the fresh air and the warm sun, he nearly felt content to just lay in the water for the rest of time. But that was too much like the dream, he realized, and before the idea could come back he pushed it away. He did not want to go back there. 

A memory surfaced at the thought and he remembered the very words Auron had spoke to him once. _"Outside the dream world, life can be harsh- even cruel. But it is life."_

Ever since he had gone back to the dream world, his mind had been on this 'life'. This real world. Had he ever been part of it, or had he simply been a shadow? It had all seemed real enough at the time. It felt real enough now. 

_'But how did I get back?'_

Not able to begin to phantom how it could have transpired, he pushed the question away and decided it was better to just accept it then to worry. He was back in Spira, and he was in Besaid. That was all that mattered to him at the present.

Well, not quite all that mattered.

Was she still here? Or was this some other time, some other dream of Spira? Was it the same one he remembered? Perhaps they had forgotten him. Perhaps they had all died.

Pushing himself up again, he began to swim towards the beach. He certainly wasn't going to find any of those answers wading around in the ocean all day. 

Finally reaching the beach, he stood up and walked towards the shallower part. He still couldn't see anyone around. In fact, it looked almost as if it was deserted. Not even the Aurochs were out practicing on the beach, though it was certainly a fine day for it. Just like the day when he'd first arrived in Spira. The day he'd left the dream and been thrown into a chain of events he never would have imagined possible. A chain of events that led him to upsetting the very way of Spira, and in the end, saving it, with the help of those he changed with his strange ideas. The day he'd met her, and everything stopped making sense.

Shaking the thoughts away he wondered what it was he should do next. He could go up to Besaid itself, though that might alarm everyone who'd seen him before.

__

'Never mind that. I'll just go anyway and surprise everyone.' He thought with a smile, then heard a funny roaring in the distance. _'Fiends?'_ He thought for a moment, then listened closer. The noise was above him, though… it also sounded behind. _'No… machina.'_

Turning around, he searched the horizon, to find nothing but gulls. Frowning, he looked up into the air and was greeted by a strange sight. A huge machina was flying through the air down towards the water. As it got closer, he realized that the design was probably some kind of airship, though it wasn't anything like he'd seen before. Nor anything like the airship he'd actually ridden on. 

_'It's coming awfully fast…' _

As the thought formed, the airship began to level out, but not by much. As it came roaring closer, he realized that it was not going to land in the deep water, but, in fact, on the shallows he stood in. But somehow he doubted it was going to hit him, and something inside of him told him that whoever was on the airship, was probably someone he knew. 

The airship bounced off the water with a roar of water, and he barely missed being swept off his feet by the waves._ 'Whoever's flying that thing is nuts!_' He thought as he just managed to avoid being run over by one of the huge engines_. _

When it had finally stopped bouncing and was settling itself on the water, it turned and the engines began to shut off. Before the airship had even stopped moving however, he could hear the ramp underneath it lower. Turning, he looked up to see who was in such a hurry to get off the ship.

The airship speeded along through the air, and Besaid loomed larger and larger on the horizon. Yuna stayed on the deck while Paine and Rikku headed for the elevator. She was enjoying the wind too much to leave quite yet. It was so beautiful up so far in the sky, with the horizon spreading out in all directions and the clouds looming above. 

_'I guess this will be the last time I'm on the ship for a while. I'm looking forward to the peace and quiet, but I sure will miss this.'_ Closing her eyes, she drew in a deep breath and turned away to walk after her friends. 

Somewhere, a whistle echoed through her mind. Her eyes snapped open and she looked around wildly. Paine and Rikku stopped and frowned, looking at her in confusion. 

_'That was real, I know it was!'_

Spinning around, she ran to the edge of the airship, resulting in a horrified gasp from Rikku. 

"Are you trying to fall off??" Her cousin shouted almost hysterically, unsure of Yuna's new antics.

Looking down towards Besaid, Yuna squinted. Though it was still far away, she could begin to make out the details of the beach and the forests. The whistle had been down there, she knew it somehow inside of her.

"Yunie?" Rikku asked, coming up beside her. "Are you alr-"

Yuna spotted something on the beach that caught her eye. Letting out a wordless yell she couldn't keep in, she turned and ran right past Rikku, and nearly ran into a bewildered Paine.

"Yunie?! What did you see! Yunie?" Rikku called after her, in close pursuit. Yuna didn't even slow down, her legs seeming to have a mind of her own. She ran into the elevator, and waited most impatiently as it began to lower down to the lowest level.

"Yuna? What's wrong?" Paine called down, but by that time the elevator had gone out of view and the two of them were forced to wait for it to come back up. 

Barely keeping herself from jumping up and down as the elevator went down, painfully slow, she felt the airship hit the water and begin to slow down with a rumble. Her heart was beating so fast, she could barely remember to breathe. So many thoughts were rushing through her mind, but only one was important anymore.

Just then the doors opened and she smacked the switch that released the ramp on her way by. Not waiting for it to lower down completely or for the airship to even stop, she bounded out onto the ramp and into the fresh air.

Below her was the familiar white beach and the ocean, but she couldn't see it. All she could see was him. At that moment, he turned and looked up towards her, and she couldn't wait any longer.

Dashing down the ramp she slid to the end, and then jumped down into the water without so much as a thought about the distance. She hit the ground hard but she didn't even notice. Before she had even regained her balance from the long fall, her legs were pushing her up and forward as fast as they could. Running towards him she couldn't keep the sobs out of her voice as the world seemed to fall apart around her and nothing seemed sane anymore. 

For an instant it all reminded her of two years ago, when she had ran to him in a less joyful manner. She'd fallen right through him, and for a moment, she wondered if it would happen all over again.

Reaching out to him she saw him smile at her, and all the cares of the world left as she finally crossed the last distance between them. His arms held out to catch her, she felt all the pain and unhappiness disappear as he caught her and held her tight.

She hadn't fallen through him. Tears threatened to flood her eyes and blur everything out of sight.

Hugging him just as tightly back she let go of even trying to think. She could feel him, she could feel the warmth again. She felt so happy, happier then she could recall being for a long time. As the moment stretched on, she began to calm down. The near hysterical happiness she had felt was being replaced by a less intense, yet no less happier, emotion. Now the other parts of her mind were able to think again, and a question she could not avoid asking surfaced.

Despite everything that her senses were telling her, she still did not dare to dream. He felt real, but was he? Slowly she opened her eyes, and looked down at the beach behind him.

"…Are you real?" She asked, unable to drive the hesitation, fear, and utter amazement from her voice. So many emotions were now swirling through her head at a unstoppable speed. Was this just an illusion? Was it just a dream?

"I think so." His voice was just the same as she remembered. Her heart leapt to hear it, and another voice in her mind was silenced against the fear that he was not real. He certainly sounded real enough. Just as real as it had sounded two years ago.

Slowly, and with some hesitation, she let go of her tight embrace and pulled back to look at him. Looking at him for a long moment, she tried to see if she could tell if he was truly real or not. Then she chided herself silently, knowing she'd probably never be able to tell if he was or not. All that mattered was he was there. That he was back.

"Do I pass?" He asked, looking somewhat worried though the question made her smile. All she could do was nod in reply, and stare up at the eyes she'd never thought she'd see again.

Another moment passed, and she tilted her head and smiled even more. Everything in her mind was beginning to calm down, and the reality of the whole thing floated through her mind happily. It wasn't a dream. It didn't feel anything like a dream, and she could feel him. He wasn't disappearing.

She hadn't fallen through him.

"You're back." Yuna spoke softly, but the joy and relief in her voice couldn't have been masked even if she wanted to. She felt like crying, though this time it would have been for sheer relief and happiness. She'd wanted to find him, but she'd never expected it would have been this easy. To come home to Besaid and find him waiting. It was like a dream, but she knew in her heart it was real.

"I am back." Tidus seemed to be trying to get the idea through his head as well, though he hugged her again and it seemed to get rid of any doubts he still had. "I'm home."

The words made her smile even more. Hugging him back, she felt the hope she had always hold inside vanish. No, she didn't need hope anymore. What she had hoped for had come true.

"Welcome home." She whispered, and somewhere behind her she heard Paine and Rikku begin to descend the ramp of the airship. But she didn't turn to look, or even feel the want to. All she wanted was to stay right where she was, and never let the moment end. She had been looking forward to coming home, though she had always felt that she would be going back to the lonely life she had lived before Rikku had dragged her into the Gullwings. Now it was all behind her, and the home she'd always wanted was coming true. 

"Yes, home." Smiling she hugged him tighter. Unspoken words passed between them and he kissed her softly, but the moment was broken when the air was suddenly filled with a familiar voice.

"Hey, get a room you two!" Wakka shouted from the beach, though his voice was filled with good humor and happiness. Yuna was somewhat startled as she pulled away from Tidus to look over to the beach, and felt only slightly embarrassed as she realized the whole village was watching them, cheering and yelling as they did. But the feeling soon passed away as she realized it didn't matter what they thought, and that most of them seemed rather happy that she had found what she'd been looking for. Though judging the recent events, it was more as if he'd found her. 

"Waassup?" Wakka waved, grinning as the Aurochs beside him waved and cheered louder.

"Who asked you to watch, Wakka?" Tidus called right back at him with, though he was grinning as he said it. Wakka tried to look innocent, then laughed and looked to Lulu who stood nearby. She gave a small smile in their direction and then looked back down to Vidina's sleeping form. 

"Hiya!" Shouted Rikku from somewhere on the ramp, but neither of the two turned to look. Yuna felt far away from everything else, and wasn't quite ready to go back there yet. 

Tidus looked back down and smiled at Yuna, then grabbed her hand and began to run towards the beach, dragging her along with him. She didn't resist and kept up with his pace, smiling up into the sun as she realized that everything was quite real, and not a dream. Everything she wanted had come true, by some miracle. 

_'No, not a miracle.'_ She thought, and somewhere, she could feel the mysterious smile of the Fayth. 

_'Thank you. Thank you so much.' _

Laughing she ran faster and pulled her along with him, resulting in a surprised look and a near fall from Tidus. She was so happy, she couldn't keep the energy out of her. She just wanted to run forever, with him at her side. 

"You know, you've changed!" He managed to say, as he struggled to keep up with her, looking somewhat surprised, though also happy. 

"Well, you've missed a few things." She grinned, the wind batting her hair in and out of her face as they ran closer to the beach.

"I wanna hear everything!" He announced with another of his grins, and all she could do was smile in return. There was so much to tell him, so much she wanted to say at once. But as they neared the crowd and Rikku dashed down the ramp to follow them, she knew it would be some time before she was able to talk with him alone. Still, she knew she would have plenty of time to tell him.

He was back. Somehow, despite all the impossibilities, and the doubts, he'd come back. The Fayth had done what they had hinted at, and the horrible memories of the parting between them no longer mattered. The memories would always be there, but now it was time for new ones.

He was back.

"So, where did you spring from, ya?" Wakka asked, slapping Tidus on the shoulder with a grin. "We heard the airship, but we didn't expect to find you too!"

Tidus grinned, though all he could do was shrug. "I don't know. I just woke up, and here I was, like nothing ever happened."

"Well, just the same, it's great that you're back, ya! Yuna told us about the sphere, but we weren't sure that it was you. Guess we were wrong!" He laughed again, and looked over to Lulu who gave a quiet smile.

Yuna stood next to Tidus, still holding his hand tightly, afraid that if she let go he'd disappear again. She knew that Wakka was referring to Shuyin, but that was only because she hadn't had the chance to relate the story to anyone yet. They could think what they liked for now, she'd tell them later. She didn't want to spoil the moment with memories of the sad fate of the lovers. There'd be plenty of time for stories later.

"Hiya!" Rikku shouted again, running up through the waves and onto the beach. Paine followed behind her, though she didn't run and seemed as calm as ever. Though, Yuna could see what looked like a smile on the warrior's face. 

Tidus turned around to face the blur of yellow that was now bouncing up and down excitedly. "Where have you been? And how the heck did you get back?" 

"I really… have no idea." Tidus shook his head, with another shrug of his shoulders. 

"That's not an answer!" Rikku sighed in disappointment, but still seemed quite cheerful. "Fine, if you want to be elusive, go ahead! I'll just pry the answer out of Yunie later." 

Now everyone was crowding around the two of them, asking questions and calling greetings. Yuna began to feel a bit overwhelmed, realizing it was not unlike the day she'd defeated Sin and all of Spira wanted to thank her personally. Though the news of Vegnagun hadn't really been broad-casted out yet, it seemed news traveled fast. No doubt thanks to Shinra's commspheres.

"So, you saved the world again, huh?" Tidus asked, smiling down at her.

"Yeah! We did! You should have been there, it was loads of fun!" Rikku chattered energetically, punching the air. 

"Fun wasn't the word that came to my mind." Paine sighed, stopping behind Rikku and shaking her head.

"Well, it worked out that way. We didn't start off trying to." Yuna looked down at the beach, slightly embarrassed. 

"I really have missed a lot." Tidus shook his head, looking around the group and waving to the Aurochs.

"Don't feel bad, after all, you were gone two years."

"Two years?" Tidus seemed somewhat surprised, looking back down at her. "But… It didn't feel like that. I remember being in Zanarkand again, but not for very long. Then I just woke up and I was here."

Yuna smiled softly and gripped his hand tighter. "I'm glad."

"So, you did find him." Lulu stepped forward, smiling kindly at Yuna, and giving Tidus a nod.

"Hey, Lulu." Tidus grinned, waving a little in the air, then stopping short when he saw what she held in her arms.

"Woah! Lulu?" He blinked, looking from the baby to Wakka.

"I'd like to introduce you to my son, Vidina, ya?" Wakka grinned proudly, and put an arm around Lulu.

"Congratulations! When did this happen?"

"We got married a year or so after the Calm began." Lulu explained, smiling and gently rocking Vidina in her arms. "Vidina was born only a few days ago."

"Well, everything has sure changed a lot, not just you, Yuna." Yuna looked up at Tidus and saw that he looked almost sad. Sad perhaps that he'd missed so much and been gone in the first place. Unable to find words to say, she just leaned her head on his shoulder and shut her eyes. The voices fell out of hearing and all she felt was his hand in hers. She never thought she could be this happy, so freely. Before she had always had the threat of Sin looming in her mind, but now…

"Let's go back to the village, then we can all sit down and have a nice long talk." Lulu's voice broke through as Yuna reopened her eyes to see everyone slowly beginning to head towards the path. "Besides, we've prepared a sort of welcome home celebration for you, Yuna. It'd be a shame to let it go to waste while we stand here in the sun."

"Okay!" Yuna nodded, and gripped Tidus's hand tighter. "Wanna come?" She asked, grinning mischievously.

"You bet!" 

"Aww, it's so sweet…" Rikku sniffled, and clutched Paine's arm with a happy sigh. Paine shot her a glare and shook Rikku off her arm.

"Stop that. There's no need to get hysterical." Rikku bounced up and down and waved her arms at Paine as if shocked.

"But Yunie's happy! So I'm happy! And everything's happy again! Why can't you be happy?" Paine sighed and shook her head.

"I am happy."

"You're not smiling!" 

"You don't have to smile to be happy."

"Yes you do!" Rikku cried, waving her arms around as if to prove an important point.

"No you don't."

"Yes you do!!"

"No, I am not getting into one of these arguments with you. You're on your own, Rikku." Paine shouted, walking quickly after the group who had all but left the beach. Yuna had stopped to watch the two, and was giggling. Looking up at Tidus she saw he was equally amused, though somewhat confused looking on the identity of the warrior.

"That's Paine. She doesn't smile much, but she's really a good person, and a good friend. Her and Rikku helped me though everything that happened." 

"Rikku's really changed. Guess these two years have been pretty busy."

"Paine! Don't walk away! Hey! Wait for meee!" Rikku shouted, looking annoyed as she ran after her. Paine refused to turn around and came to a halt in front of Yuna and Tidus.

"So, you're the one Yuna was looking for." Behind her, Rikku started making faces at her, though Paine didn't seem to notice.

"Uh, yeah. I am." Tidus raised an eyebrow, as if trying to figure out what just to think about the woman, and stop himself from smiling at Rikku's antics. Yuna giggled in spite of herself had to cover her mouth to stop from laughing aloud. She just felt so happy all she wanted to do was laugh. 

"Are you alright?" Paine asked, frowning. 

"I'm fine!" Yuna managed through a fit of giggles, and even Tidus was starting to have a hard time keeping a straight face.

"What? What's going on?" Paine glared, and then spun around to see Rikku in the process of making a horrible face.

"Aheh.. heh.. Hiya Paine!" Rikku grinned innocently, then shot off like a bullet towards the path. "Hey Wakka, Lu, wait for meee!" Paine gave a frustrated groan and ran after her, looking only mildly furious at the girl.

By this time, Yuna was bent over double and having trouble breathing she was laughing so hard. Tidus was laughing too, though his eyes never left Yuna. 

"Rikku must be really happy, she's not usually that bouncy." Yuna finally managed, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes.

"It's nice to laugh again." He smiled, stretching and looking up to the sun. "I don't remember laughing in Zanarkand. But, I hardly remember anything about it anymore. It's like it's fading away."

"Like a dream?" Yuna asked, tilting her head as she brushed hair from her eyes.

"Yeah. Like a dream." His voice sounded distant, and for a moment Yuna felt herself suddenly fill with fear. But the distance passed as quickly as it came, and before she knew it he was grinning again at her.

"Come on, we'll miss the party!" Running after the rest of the group, Yuna laughed along with him as the gulls soared overhead. 

He was back. He was home, and so was she.

Everything was so perfect. She hoped with all of her heart that it would remain that way.


	5. Chapter 4 Peace and Disturbance

Thankies again for the comments! I'm overwhelmed this thing is getting so many. *hands out more cookies* It means so much to me to know people are reading this and enjoying it.. ^_^ 

Just going to address a few comments that I thought I should answer… and just say a few things about this fic and where it's headed.

This fic IS going to go on, so don't worry. Your reviews have driven me to continue. ^_^ Plus I love writing this darn thing so much it's nigh impossible to quit now…

There WILL be a new character added to this story, but it will NOT BE a Mary-Sue. I don't write 

Mary Sues. Tidus and Yuna belong together, durnit! This new character is only here because of my idea for a plot. (yes! I actually HAVE a plot in mind! Imagine that!)

I know there wasn't much in game stuff, but that was because I didn't feel like writing too much of, 

because I was kind of worried that people would get bored of just another fic about FFX-2. I've tried to write in dress-sphere useage the best I could, but it is a little… difficult, considering that's part of the battle system in the game, not story… 

This fic has sort of evolved since I started it… gone from being a Yuna/Tidus story to now, well,

basically still about that, but now it's hopefully going to have plot and adventure. So don't worry, it's not endless mush… but it's not endless hysteria either. ^_~ This fic started out as a short one, now it's going to be a long one… so we'll see how that works out…

I hope to combine the seriousness/romance of FFX, and the fun/silly/happy stuff of FFX-2… so that's 

what this fic really is trying to be. I HOPE it turns out this way. Please say if you feel it's running thin on plot-ness at any time.

About the Perfect Ending – no, I haven't written it yet into here, I'm sorry. I will make a AN when I do…_ should _be in the next chapter, I was going to put it in this chappy, but it didn't seem right.

(last comment, I swear!) Annd about the adventure I hope to add to the story… just to put away any fears this is going to be an endless happy fic… can you say – Gullwings? XD

I don't own FFX or FFX2, but I shelled out 400 dollars to buy a PS2- JUST to play FFX , and then FFX-2, so I kind of like to think I own my copy, as much as a person can own a copyrighted game. 

Blah blah blah blah… blah… blah… and oh yes. Onto chapter 4!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 4

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Well, it's nice to see Besaid hasn't changed at least." Tidus stopped at the entrance, gazing at the city with a look of nostalgia on his face.

"I don't think Besaid will ever change." Yuna smiled, still looking at him as if he'd disappear if she didn't. Lulu and Wakka had gone on ahead with the rest of the villagers, to prepare, as they called it, the party. Huge tables were set up outside of the tents and around a large bonfire, indicating that a perhaps there would be a nice feast to follow up a nice day.

"You never know, now that they've got a ex-summoner living here, they might get more traffic." Yuna's face fell. "Er, did I say something wrong?" He asked, frowning.

"Spira's turning into a giant tourist attraction. Zanarkand is over run with people, and all the temples are just sight seeing tours." She looked to the ground with a sigh. "I know, that it's good for everyone to be happy again, but it's difficult to watch. After all years of them being sacred places, now they're just places to go for vacation. What does that make me?" She looked up at him again and tried to smile.

"You." She frowned and titled her head.

"What do you mean?"

"You're still you, Yuna. That's all that matters, right?" She considered for a moment, then smiled. He was right. She hadn't looked at it quite that way, though perhaps it was because she never had the chance to. All her life she'd been known as Braska's daughter, up until the point she became High Summoner. Then it was High Summoner Yuna. She'd never had a chance to be just plain Yuna.

"You're right." She smiled, then looked over the village where everyone was bustling around, setting tables with dishes of food.

"Mmm! I'm starving!" Tidus exclaimed as the smell of food began to drift towards them. He began to walk over towards the table but was caught by Wakka who had rushed over. Grabbing Tidus in a headlock, Wakka began to chuckle and shake his head.

"Oh no you don't, no eatin' till everyone gets it set up, ya?" Tidus made a sound of protest but Wakka didn't let go, and soon the two were wrestling while laughing. Yuna smiled as she watched, feeling happy that Wakka and everyone had accepted everything so well.

_'I can hardly believe it.' _She thought to herself as she looked up to the sky._ 'He's really back. After everything that's happened…'_ Closing her eyes she smiled up to the sun, and stretched her arms up towards it.

"Yunie! Help!" Rikku shouted, disrupting Yuna's moment of peace as she grabbed her cousin by the arm and began to shake it. "You have to hide me! I think I got Paine really mad this time!" Yuna grinned in amusement, but pointed over to a nearby tent. Rikku disappeared into it before Yuna even had the chance to wish her cousin good luck. Just as the last of Rikku's scarf was gone from sight, Paine came out from another tent and looked around with a scowl. 

"Where is she?" The warrior asked with a hint of annoyance in her voice, looking over to Yuna. Yuna tried to keep a straight face as she shrugged. 

"Where's who?"

"Not you too, Yuna!" Paine sighed, and shook her head. "You're getting as horrible as she is."

"I'm not horrible!" Rikku exclaimed, poking her head out of the tent with a frown.

"Aha!" Paine shouted, and leapt towards the girl who uttered a squeal of fear.

The thief tried to run but Paine had grabbed her arm before she could even get out of the tent. "That's it Rikku, you're really going to get-"

"RIKKUUU!" A voice shattered the air and Yuna winced in spite of herself.

"Oohh, what is it, pick on Rikku day??" Rikku cried, putting her hands on her hips as Paine let go of her. Brother bounded up the path, looking quite furious and sputtering things that Yuna could only figure were insults in Al Bhed.

"Now what?" Rikku sighed, waving a hand at him in annoyance.

"You left us!" He sputtered, and came to a panting halt at the entrance of the village. 

"Well yeah! You were being too slow!" Rikku rolled her eyes as Cid and Buddy came into view, panting even worse then Brother was.

"Oh!" Yuna exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hand. With Tidus's appearance, she had completely forgotten about the other Gullwings. About this, Brother did not look to happy, but when he spotted Yuna his mood seemed to relax.

"Yuna! You are safe?" He asked, quickly walking over to her.

"Why wouldn't she be safe?" Paine asked, raising an eyebrow.

"She leapt out of the ship! Into the water! There are fiends in the water!" Brother exclaimed in some annoyance, as if it were the simplest knowledge and Paine was odd for not seeing it.

"I'm fine, Brother." Yuna smiled, hearing Tidus give a yelp as Wakka succeeded in dropping him on his back. 

"Of course she's fine! Quit yer darn worrying and do something useful instead!" Cid snapped, finally coming up beside Brother with a gasp for air.

At this, Rikku started shouting something in Al Bhed, waggling her finger at Brother as if he was a dog that had done something wrong. Brother only glared at her, and then looked back to Rikku, ignoring his father completely. Cid gritted his teeth and crossed his arms, glaring off at a point on the horizon instead.

"Is there anything I can do for you, Yuna?" Brother asked, bending over slightly and looking almost as if he were begging.

"No, I'm fine." She smiled some more, then turned to look over where Wakka and Tidus were. Wakka was helping him up from the ground, and laughing. 

Brother looked over to where her gaze fell, then let out a sound that was a cross between a scream and a yell. "Shuyin!!" He exclaimed, then began waving his arms around madly and grabbed Rikku's arm. "How did he get back?" He shouted, then as if at a loss of what to do, stood in front of Yuna as if protecting her.

"Err, Yuna?" Tidus asked, looking just a little confused as he walked over towards them.

"Stay away you… crazy Farplane freak!" Brother yelled, and Rikku rolled her eyes.

"You idiot! He's not Shuyin!" She cried, walking over to Brother and kicking him in the shin.

"Not… Shuyin?" Brother gasped as he jumped up and down and rubbed his leg. 

"No!" Rikku sighed, putting her hands on her hips. "That's Tidus. Remember? The guy we were looking for in the first place when we ran into Shuyin!"

"Hiya." Tidus cut in, though he still looked a bit confused about the whole thing. Yuna walked over to him and tried to ignore Rikku's ridiculously large grin.

"Shuyin? Farplane?" He whispered down to her, frowning in confusion.

"I'll tell you later." She whispered to him, then turned back to look at Brother who was staring at Tidus in horror. 

"Ti…" Was the only word he could seem to utter, looking from Tidus, then to Yuna.

"You remember Brother, right?" Yuna asked, turning to look up at Tidus.

"Uh… He was…" Tidus frowned and crossed his arms. "Er…"

"Don't worry if you can't remember him, it's not important." Rikku snorted, walking away from her brother and towards Yuna.

"Rikku! You shouldn't be so mean!" Yuna exclaimed, surprised at her cousin. 

"Oh come on Yunie, you know Brother! He's-"

At this point, a great wail broke through Rikku's words, and all eyes turned to Brother. Already miserable looking, he had bent over the ground and started crying, wailing away in Al Bhed. 

For a long moment, an uncomfortable silence hung over the village. One that continued to hang even as the last of the Gullwing crew appeared and stood in surprise at the sight of Brother.

Though Shinra's face was unreadable, Calli's was not. She looked horrified but at the same time, entirely at a loss at what to do. Yuna remembered that the girl had told her once that she'd looked up to Brother, and that she'd wanted to get to know him better. Just as the girl took a step forward as if to speak to him, Cid's roar broke the echo of silence.

"Oh git up! No son of mine's going to go bawlin' like a baby! Get yer hide off the ground and get a hold of yerself!" He shouted down at Brother, glaring and looking quite cross.

"Yeah, get up already!" Rikku chimed in, but was silenced by a glare from her father.

"Don't you start too! Can't stand it, I raised you two to be-"

"You didn't raise us at all you old fart!" Rikku's shrill cry rang through the air, as she stormed over to him.

"Here we go again." Paine sighed, walking away from everyone and towards the temple. 

"He was… the pilot, on the airship when we fought Sin, right?" Tidus asked quietly, looking down at Yuna who'd been at a loss for words.

"Yes, he was. He was our pilot for the Gullwings too. I've never seen him quite this upset…" Feeling uncomfortable, she walked over to where Brother was still crying.

"Brother? Are you okay?" She asked, kneeling down and trying to see his face, but it was buried in his arms.

"Voice… angel…" Another wail rose through the air and he began to cry even louder. Yuna blinked and stood back up, looking over to Cid and Rikku who were now yelling at each other in Al Bhed. 

"Another lovely family scene, displayed for all the world to see." Shinra muttered as he walked past Yuna, towards where the last of the food was being set out. Buddy had been silent ever since he had appeared, but now finally seemed to decide to take action. Going over to his friend, he picked Brother up and dusted him off. 

"Come on bro, you've had your moment, let it go." He said quietly, and then helped the sobbing Brother over to the tables. Calli followed quickly after, looking somewhat upset herself.

"What was that all about?" Tidus asked as Yuna walked back over to him, a frown on her face.

"I think… Well… It's a long story." She sighed, and shook her head. "I'll tell you later, when we have a moment to talk without everyone else asking questions."

"Okay." He said, then smiled at her and grabbed her hand. 

"Hey Wakka, you going to let us eat now?" He shouted over to the blitzer, who was helping Lulu sit down at one of the tables. 

"Yeah yeah, okay. But ya better hurry up before it's all gone! Otherwise Lu will eat your share! OW! Hey!" The last comment had resulted in a well aimed smack from Lulu, who was putting Vidina into a crib beside her seat. "I was joking, ya?" He whimpered apologetically, rubbing his head as his wife sat down at the table with a faint smile.

Yuna grinned and pulled Tidus after her as she headed towards the table and her friends. 

Sitting down with Tidus in between Wakka and Paine, Yuna was surprised by the large amount of food that had been prepared. There seemed to be endless amounts stacked all around the large tables, and even more was cooking on the bonfire that sat in the middle of the party.

"Did you make enough food?" She giggled, carefully selecting a few portions onto her plate, as Tidus began to pile everything in sight onto his. 

"Well, we gotta a lot of people to feed, ya! The village keeps growing." He grinned through a mouthful of food, indicating with a nod to all the Gullwings and Tidus.

"We haven't had a feast like this since you defeated Sin. We thought it was high time to have another one, seeing as you were coming home." Lulu explained calmly, seemingly unimpressed by her husband's answer.

"You didn't have to go to all this trouble just for me." Looking down at her plate, Yuna could feel her face go red. She still wasn't comfortable with so much attention, even after all this time. Especially not from Lulu and Wakka, who she saw as family, not fans.

"It wasn't any trouble. You shouldn't worry so much, Yuna."

"Well, thanks, Lulu." She smiled back at the older woman, and Lulu gave a small smile back.

Across the table, a loud argument was beginning to become louder and more intense. Cid and Rikku were still yelling insults at each other, and now it had seemed Brother had recovered enough to join in. Buddy sat staring down at his plate with a look of exasperation. The tedious argument was nothing new to him, he'd been listening to it ever since he'd met the family.

"Okay, break it up! You've had your fun. We're trying to eat over here!" Paine shouted suddenly, and the whole dinner table went silent. Paine didn't even look up at their reaction and continued to calmly chew a piece of fish. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, the conversations resumed but the argument seemed quite dead. Rikku ate quietly but Yuna could tell it was only a matter of time before her cousin started up again. Cid appeared to be sulking, and Brother was muttering something to Buddy as the two began pilling more food on their plates. 

_'Looks like everything's back to normal Well, as normal as things can get.'_ Yuna thought with a grin, taking a mouthful of food and enjoying it thoroughly. On both sides of her, Wakka and Tidus were stuffing their faces as fast as they could, almost as if they were having a race to see who could eat more helpings first. Even though Tidus hadn't been back for very long, it seemed the almost brotherly relationship between him and Wakka had started again. It brought a smile to Yuna's face, as she realized Wakka probably appreciated the company now, with his own family.

"So," Wakka started, not taking the time to swallow the large mouthful of fish he had just stuffed into his mouth, "What happened down there in the Farplane, ya?" 

"Oh, you should have been there, chubby!" Rikku managed through a mouthful of food, and grinned. "We got to fight this big nasty machina! And we sure told it who was boss!" Lulu raised an eyebrow, and looked over to Yuna.

"Well, Yuna?"

"Heyy!" Rikku sniffed, looking irritated.

"Well, pretty much what Rikku said." Yuna smiled in spite of herself, and Lulu looked somewhat surprised. 

"I see." She said, then smiled a little as she carefully took a mouthful of food. Knowing Lulu wasn't really satisfied with the answer, Yuna looked down at her own plate somewhat apologetic.

"Well, actually, there is more to it then that. But it's kind of a long story…"

"Hey, this is going to be a long night, ya? Get started!" Wakka encouraged, waving a fork in the air and sending food splattering onto an unsuspecting passerby.

"Yeah! I wanna to hear it too!" Tidus added, looking over to Yuna with a grin. "You promised you'd tell me." Knowing there was no more escaping it, Yuna smiled and looked up at the sky that was slowly turning red with the coming of the sunset.

_'So much has happened…'_

But she knew where it had all started. With the wish of wanting to see him again… with the dream that he would return somehow. Smiling even more, she looked around to her friends, then finally back to Tidus.

"Well… It all began, when I saw this sphere of you…" She started, then closed her eyes as she began to recall.

"It's amazing." Tidus shook his head, flopping back on the sand and looking up at the bright stars overhead. "You've sure been busy."

Beside him Yuna sat with her arms hugging her knees, looking out over the moon lit waves. "I guess… I try not to think about it anymore. I just try to keep looking ahead. Not back at all the things I've done…" Her voice trailed off and she looked up at the moon itself, sighing a little. "I think everyone expected me to let go completely… but you know… I just couldn't. Couldn't let go of all the memories. The anger, the tears, the smiles, and the laughter… It meant so much to me. And it still does." She added quickly, looking down at him as his eyes went from star to star.

Tidus was silent for a long moment, and inside he was trying to figure out everything that had happened. One minute he had been in the dream, the next moment, he was back here. Everything had changed so much, and yet everything looked so much the same. It was sad to think of everything that he had missed, though he was grateful he'd come back at all. However it had come to be.

"So he looked that much like me, huh?" Sitting back up, he took looked out over the water. The moon seemed to dance on the water, as the endless waves drifted softly across. There was something calming about the sight. It reminded him of times not so long ago in his mind when he and the others had traveled on the boat to Kilka and Luca. The water had been almost the same…

"Yes." Yuna whispered softly, then looked down at her knees. Tidus looked over at her and saw that her eyes were glinting in the soft light.

"Yuna?" He hesitated, seeing there was something drifting in her mind she was trying to say.

"All those feelings… Lenne's feelings, they were so strong. I felt like I… I wanted to be with Shuyin, because of those feelings. But at the same time it felt horribly wrong… I…" Her voice trailed off and she closed her eyes, trying to blink back the tears that were attempting to escape.

"Yuna, it's over. Lenne and Shuyin are gone, you saw so yourself. You don't have to feel guilty, or angry, or anything. It wasn't your fault."

Wiping away the tears from her eyes, Yuna sniffed lightly then smiled at him the best she could. "I guess you're right."

"Of course I am!" He grinned, then hugged her. She smiled and before he knew it she was crying again, this time with tears streaming down her face in rivers of silver.

"Yuna?" He asked softly, half afraid he'd done something wrong.

"I'm just so happy." She mumbled from somewhere in his shoulder, hugging him tightly and still crying softly. Hugging her tightly back, he didn't say anything and listened to the soft waves lapping at the beach. Yuna's sobs slowly died down and she looked back up at him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" She started, but he cut her off by shaking his head.

"Yuna, it's alright." She smiled then leaned her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes and wiping tears from her face. Wrapping an arm around her he closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the cool ocean air. It hurt to see her cry, like it always had, but this time he knew that she was happy. He didn't want to see her cry again like she did all those times before, when she had been a summoner. Those had been painful times, for all of them. Now it was all over, and he was going to make sure nothing would hurt her again. Not while he was still alive and breathing, still in Spira, with her.

"Tidus…" She whispered, dragging him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"…I love you." Hugging him even tighter, he could see the faint watery glimmer of tears in her eyes again. After everything that happened, she looked completely overwhelmed. And yet, somehow, she clung on, and was still the Yuna he knew.

He sighed, then looked up at the sparkling stars above them. For a moment they reminded him of the tears that had been glinting in her eyes. "I'm sorry I was never able to tell you, Yuna. How I felt… everything happened so fast."  
"I knew." She said quietly, turning her gaze up to the stars as well.

The silence that followed would have seemed awkward to an onlooker, but Tidus felt words that were not spoken pass between them. Words that didn't need to be spoken aloud to be understood.

Holding her tighter, he hoped that whatever it was that had brought him back, had brought him back to stay. 

"About-" She started again, but was cut off by a sudden, unexpected sound. The roar echoed over the woods and towards them, almost deafening despite the obvious distance of it.

"What was that?" Tidus jumped up, pulling her with him. Blinking away whatever tears were left in her eyes she looked up in the direction of the path.

"It sounded like a fiend." Pausing, she listened to a second roar shatter the stillness of the air. "Near the village!" She cried, then was running towards the path before he could stop her.

"Yuna!" He called, running after her though she seemed to be going somewhat faster then he could. 

"Come on!" She stopped, turning around to face him. "We've got to go help!" 

"Then let's go help!" He nodded, but then stopped in front of her as he realized an important detail. "But… I don't exactly have anything to fight with. I lost Brotherhood when I disappeared." Her eyes lit up for a moment, and she fished around in her pocket. 

"What?" He asked, frowning.

"There! Hold on a minute, I'm change dress-spheres."  
"Dress-spheres?" He asked, even more confused now then he had been before as she held up a strange glowing sphere.

"I'll explain later!" Even as she spoke, the air around Yuna was crackling with energy, and as he watched her clothes and guns seemed to melt and change, into something quite different.

"Armor?" He asked, blinking even more. "You're-"

Grabbing the sword that was strapped to her now armor clad back, Yuna pulled it out and held it up in between them.

"Brotherhood…" He blinked, staring at in disbelief.

"I was just borrowing it." She smiled somewhat apologetically, then handed it to him. "It's your's now, like Wakka always wanted."

He grinned and gripped the handle tightly. Though he'd never been trained with the use of swords, the sword had always seemed to suit him well. "But what are you going to…" His voice trailed off as she held up another sphere.

"How many of those things do you have?" He asked in surprise, as the armor melted away to reveal her regular clothes again. Stuffing the sphere back into her pocket with the others, she just grinned and pulled one of her guns from her belt. 

"Too many. I'll show you later, come on!" Grabbing his hand she dragged him up the path and into the woods. Running together they made good time, though the darkness would have hindered Tidus had he been alone. 

Yuna seemed to have the entire path memorized, and every turn came to her as no surprise. Reaching the hill above the village after a few long moments of running, they could see the bonfire down below slowly dying out. Everyone had gone to bed already and it seemed no other lights were on, except…

"A drake!" Yuna cried, pointing to the flames that flickered out of the seeming darkness in such a fashion it mimicked breathing. As they listened they could hear the sure sound of an obvious battle being fought. 

"Let's go!" Running down the hill as fast as they dared for fear of tripping, they reached the village entrance just as Rikku was hurled onto the path in front of them. The young woman was bleeding from some point on her leg, and her Dark Knight's armor was bent out of shape.

"Rikku!" Yuna cried, dashing forward and pulling out a potion. Dribbling the liquid over her cousin's wound and into her mouth, she was relieved to see the girl cough and slowly rise.

"Yunie, you've got to go help Paine and Wakka! That thing is totally nuts, it's fighting like it's being driven by something!" As Tidus and Yuna headed towards the center of the village, Tidus could hear Rikku shout another warning at their backs. "And stay away from it's heads!"

_'Heads?'_ Tidus thought with a sinking heart, as they stopped to see Wakka and Paine fighting for their lives.

"Hey, over here!" Yuna shouted as the drake tried to rip Wakka to shreds with one of it's massive claws. The creature turned suddenly to face them, and Tidus felt his blood go cold.

"This… can't be good." He muttered aloud, but Yuna was already rushing forward to join the fight, Rikku close behind her. Swallowing his apprehension, he ran after her and hoped he still remembered how to use Brotherhood.


	6. Chapter 5 Dreaming of Nightmares

*collapses* Here it be! This one was fun and easy to write.. and I'm hoping that it finally introduces some sort of plot! Hurray! And.. I hope that it makes sense. And everything remains in character.

Thanks again to all the commenters.. comments are what keeps me going. No comments, no drive to write any more. Soooooo pleeeeeeeeease, comment! *feels like a penniless beggar*

And um.. still haven't written the perfect ending in yet. . Soooon.. I promise. Right now it wouldn't fit in to have them waltzing off to Zanarkand.. hopefully in one of the next couple chapters though, when Yunie and Tidus actually get two seconds to themselves without having some disaster muck it up.

And yet again.. I don't own FFX, or FFX-2. *snuffle*

And to make up for all the babbling I did earlier, here we go, chappy-ness for you with 60% less babble!

~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 5

~~~~~~~~~

"The fun just never stops." Yuna heard Paine mutter as one of the massive heads attempted to bite her head clean off. Luckily the warrior had ducked in time and was able to quickly cut across the creature's face with her sword. The blade bounced off the heavy scales uselessly and only seemed to anger the beast more. 

Snarling and growling in fury, the huge red beast swung it's tail dangerously through the air, while all three of it's heads snapped and lunged at anyone near them. Though it was a beautiful creature, it's sanity seemed to be in question. The thing lunged about at no thought for it's own safety, and appeared to be driven by some unknown force, urging it to fight on. Fiends never fought blindly, unless they were protecting their young or were hungry. Even Sin Spawn never used to attack with such randomness.

Loading her guns, Yuna had to agree with Paine's words. Everything had already been rather busy, and Yuna had been hoping it was finally going to calm down. Apparently, whatever dedicated Fate, wasn't done with them yet. 

First it had been the adventure concerning Vegnagun, then coming home to Besaid only to find Tidus. Then there had been the feast, and the constant accusations from Brother that Tidus was Shuyin. When they'd finally managed to get away from the feast to have a few moments to talk alone, hysteria managed to break free again.

_'Hysteria in the form of a crazed fiend. Where did it come from? There aren't any fiends like this in Besaid..'_ Ducking she managed to avoid being sliced in half by the huge tail as it swung around towards her. _'Is it too much to just ask for a little peace and quiet?'_ She thought with a sigh as she let loose a chain of rounds into the beast's back, having absolutely no visible effect other then irritating it.

Turning around the drake roared in anger and the whole ground shook. Shaking it's mighty heads in the air, and lowering it's giant horn towards her, it charged.

_'Guess not.' _Jumping out of the way she felt a searing pain as the horn grazed her leg. Biting her lip against a scream she fell backwards and only just managed to roll as a fist full of claws came pounding down.

"Yuna!" Wakka shouted, and scrambling up she managed to catch the potion he threw towards her. Quickly she popped it open and threw it over her wounds, then drank the remaining few drops. The bitter liquid wasn't pleasant to drink, but the pain ebbed a little. But another hit like that, could kill her if she wasn't careful. 

Luring the beast away from Yuna, Paine and Rikku began to attack it's heads, in a unsuccessful attempt to do it some injury with their Dark Knight swords. Nothing seemed to work. The only thing they seemed able to do was irritate it and lure it away from the wounded.

_'Maybe magic..'_ She thought as she grabbed one of the spheres in her pocket. _'Can't hurt to try.'_ Switching spheres she felt the familiar sensation of change as her Gunner's clothes melted away into those of a Gun Mage.

_'Let's see how you like this!'_ She thought as she loaded the gun with a special bullet, then cast the spell that would inflict high damage to such fiends. Firing the gun into the beast's open back, she was disappointed to see only a small reaction. The beast screamed in pain and irritation, but it was by no chance a mortal wound. Twisting around it snarled at her and all of it's heads curled down to reveal it's jagged horns. Shaking it's head, it began to run towards her, impossibly fast.

"Look out!" Tidus shouted, just managing to grab her arm and drag her out of the way as the beast sailed by and ran into the wall that fenced Besaid in from the jungle. The stones rumbled but did not shatter, and the beast simply turned back around. It acted as if it felt no pain at all, and was driven by some strong force that would not let it back down or feel pain. 

"This thing is nuts!" Tidus gasped, pulling Yuna backwards towards Rikku and Paine, as the drake began to ready itself to charge again. 

"It's like it's been driven mad!" Rikku shook her head, tightening her grip on her sword. "Yunie, what are we going to do?" She asked, looking worried.

In Yuna's mind, she could find no possible idea. Nothing seemed to work, not magic, or weapons of any kind. "Have any of you tried elemental magic?" She asked, quickly taking a gulp of an ether potion.

"Not yet, but elemental attacks didn't work so.." Rikku's voice trailed off, and Yuna was already changing into the form of a Black Mage. Twirling her staff and pushing up her floppy hat, she looked over to the drake that was already starting to run towards them.

As the beast ran she shouted the words of command, and swung the staff towards the beast. A enormous lightening bolt shot down from the sky and slammed into the beast, knocking it clear off it's feet. It looked stunned, but not hurt.

"Well that worked, kinda!" Rikku chattered nervously behind her.

"But not good enough." Paine added, as the beast was already beginning to stand up and move towards them.

"Try it again!" Tidus encouraged, standing next to Yuna and holding up Brotherhood protectively. All of them together were no match for the fiend, but still he was willing to put himself in front of her and protect her. The thought gave her strength, as did the knowledge that her friends stood beside her. Just like they always had. Just like when they fought Sin.

Closing her eyes, Yuna calmed her mind. She could do it, she'd been able to do so many other things without failing. This was not any different. Her friends stood beside her.

"Blizzagra!" She shouted, snapping her eyes open and twirling the staff again. Ice began to form around the beast, trapping and freezing it's legs to the ground. It gave another earth shaking roar, and struggled against the ice as it covered the drake up to it's shoulders. Though the ice didn't seem to hurt it, it had trapped it for the time being.

"Way to go Yunie! Keep it up!" Rikku bounced, patting her cousin on the back.

Twirling her staff again expertly, Yuna closed her eyes and focused on her next spell. As the magical forces gathered and readied inside of her, she could hear the drake shattering it's prison. Just in time she opened her eyes to see the beast stumbling towards her.

"Flare!" She cried, and a blast of pure energy dropped the beast to it's knees with a howl of pain from all three heads. Still, somehow it began to struggle back up, and claw it's way towards Yuna.

"Yunie! Look out!" Rikku shouted, but Yuna knew she wasn't yet ready to cast another spell. Stumbling backwards she watched helplessly as the tail swung high in the air and readied to crush her.

"Ultima!" A familiar voice shouted, and everything around the drake went black as energy crackled around it. The beast screamed in terror and tried to back away from the growing powers but failed miserably. The bolt of magic exploded inside of it, draining the creature's life from the inside out. Shivering the beast gave a groan and collapsed lifelessly onto the ground, it's long tail twitching as it's eyes began to dull.

"Yunie?" Rikku asked timidly, looking to her cousin with a wordless question on her face.

"It wasn't me." Yuna slowly lowered her staff, and looked over to the Temple. Lulu stood there, lowering her arm as the last bits of the spell faded away.

"Lu!" Wakka shouted, and ran straight over to the woman as she fell to her knees and struggled to keep herself balanced. "Are you alright, ya?" He asked almost hysterically, helping her up and supporting all her weight with his strong arms.

"I'm fine, Wakka. I just haven't had to do that for.. quite a long time." She said softly, accepting his help. "I'm sorry I didn't come sooner, I had to make sure the villagers were safe in the Temple." Though she showed no emotion, Yuna could see that the black mage was upset that she hadn't been able to help more, or sooner. Yuna almost felt as if it was her who should apologize. Lulu had a family she had to take care of now, she shouldn't be fighting fiends, fiends that Yuna and the others should have been able to handle.

"That was one nasty fiend!" Tidus shook his head, frowning at the still form of the beast. "Where did it come from?"

"We don't know." Paine stepped forward, putting away her sword as she watched the body carefully. "It just appeared out of nowhere and acted as if it were fighting for it's life. Fiends don't normally attack like that."

"And I've never seen a fiend like that on Besaid, ya? Not even in the caves." Wakka added, slowly walking over with Lulu.

"It almost looks like it's.. been changed somehow." Yuna frowned, walking over to the body. "As if it's been twisted into two shapes." Kneeling a little ways away from it, she looked at the drake's heads. No life could be seen in any of the eyes, and she could not even hear the faint heartbeat. "Almost like the Aeons, when they were combined with the Machina."

"But that's no Aeon, and there's not a scrap of Machina on it." Paine crossed her arms and frowned. 

"Is it dead?" Cid's voice made everyone look to the temple as the man poked his head out the entrance. Behind him, they could see the others look out behind him with curiosity and fear.

"Yeah." Tidus walked over to Yuna, then stopped suddenly. "Yuna!"

Frowning, she looked back to the beast and saw pyreflies had begun to flow from it. But instead of flying away into the air, the rainbows began to flow towards her. Stepping away involuntary, she was helpless to stop them as they twirled around her body then disappeared into her. 

"Yunie!" Rikku cried, running over to her. Yuna felt suddenly dizzy, and a wave of unaccountable anger and loneliness filled her. Falling to her knees she clutched at her head, trying to drive the thoughts away. It was almost like when Shuyin's memories had entered her, but somewhere they were different. These ones were crying for help, crying endlessly out of loneliness.

_'Abandoned to die, those who cannot die, destined to live an eternity of suffering, fated to be caught between. Help us. Help us. It hurts. Please..' _A voice ran over her thoughts, and made her cry out in pain in it's intensity. As quickly as the words and the emotions came however, they had already begun to fade away. 

Opening her eyes she hadn't realized were shut, Yuna stared down at the ground and saw the familiar rainbows as the pyreflies left her body and drifted towards the sky. 

"Are you okay?" A worried voice asked, dragging her back into reality. 

"What.. just happened?" She wondered aloud, the words sounding strange to her ears as if she had not spoken for a great while.

"You tell us?" Paine's voice swam through her head, and Yuna felt the last of the feelings fade away, as if they had never been there. Slowly she looked up to see the worried faces of her friends, watching her carefully.

"I.. don't know." She managed, then tried to stand up but found she was suddenly quite tired. A steady hand grabbed hers, and with a gentle squeeze pulled her the rest of the way up.

"Yuna?" Tidus asked, his eyes full of worry and question.

"I think.. it was just the pyreflies of the fiend. Just the feelings the fiend had been feeling, like when Shuyin entered us."

"Shuyin! I knew it!" Brother declared suddenly, glaring at Tidus who looked uneasy.

"I thought Shuyin was gone?"

"No, it's not him." Yuna shook her head firmly, but Brother looked determined in his assumption.

"Are you sure?" Paine asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, I am. It wasn't like his memories, this was more.. simple. Like the minds of the fiend. I think it just went mad, and it's pain somehow passed to me when the pyreflies went through me. I don't think they meant to enter me."

"Whew! Well, we're glad you're alright, ya? They're all gone right?" Wakka tried to look encouraging, but the worry was easy to read on his smiling features.

"Yes, they are." Yuna said quietly, blinking as her head began to ache. 

"Well, I think this is enough excitement for one day. Yuna, perhaps you should go rest." Lulu walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder, her eyes looking worried but also calm. Calmer then the others, who still watched Yuna and looked worried she'd suddenly fall down again. 

"You're right, Lulu." The words felt thick on her tongue, and she realized how far she'd pushed herself in the battle. Vegnagun had been enough battles to last her the rest of her life, and here she was fighting again just a few hours after the epic battle. 

"I am really tired." Yawning in spite of herself, she smiled a little as everyone seemed to look more relaxed.

"Me too!" Rikku stretched, then grinned as she looked over to Tidus. "So where are we gonna make him sleep?"

"Not on the airship. He might try to take it over to destroy Spira!" Brother announced quickly, shooting another glare at Tidus. When no one replied, he began to mutter to himself and eye Tidus suspiciously.

"You can sleep with the Aurochs, ya? They've got a spare bed, for tonight. Tomorrow we'll find a better place to stick ya. It'll be just like old times, ya?" Wakka grinned, slapping Tidus on the back and almost knocking him over. 

"Sounds fine." Tidus grinned back, but rubbed his back with a grimace.

"Yeah! Then tomorrow we can start practicin' for the big game, ya?" Wakka grinned even wider, and Lulu rolled her eyes.

"Wakka, you promised me you wouldn't go this year."

"Ah, well, hey Lu, he can still go, ya? Right?" He asked, looking over to Tidus again.

Grinning Tidus nodded and punched the air. "You bet!" 

Smiling Yuna yawned again and tried to hide it.

"Shame on you all! Keeping poor Yuna up like this!" Brother declared, shooting everyone nasty glares. "Let her go sleep!"

"I'm fine, really!" Yuna yawned again and tried to look awake.

"Her problem is she doesn't want Tidus to go sleep in with the guys!" Rikku grinned, jabbing Tidus in the ribs with her elbow and winking at Yuna.

Yuna felt her face go quite red as she covered her mouth, and even Tidus looked somewhat embarrassed. "Rikku!" Brother gave him a poisonous look, then stormed off towards the path.

"Come on, Rikku, we're going back to the airship to sleep! Goodnight!" 

"Hey, you silly! You guys are sleeping in the temple tonight!" Rikku shouted back at him, but he seemed to ignore her.

"Oh let him go, it'll be nice and quiet for a change." Shinra snorted, shaking his head as Brother disappeared up the path and into the night.

"Well, I guess you're right." Rikku sighed, turning away back to look at Yuna again.

"Yunieee! Why is your face all red?" Rikku grinned mischievously, only to have her arm grabbed by Paine. 

"Alright, that's enough. Stop picking on Yuna, and go sleep already." She snapped, and gave the girl a shove towards the huts.

"Hey, I'm not a kid! I'll go to bed when I want!" Rikku glared, putting her hands on her hips.

"I think we've all had quite enough for today." Lulu declared, looking all around and making everyone go silent. "Yuna, we cleaned up your old hut and got it ready for you. You can go any time you like. Rikku, you can sleep in the hut you normally do when visiting, and Paine, well, I'm sorry we didn't have time to get a hut ready for you.."

"It's fine. I'll be happy in the temple." Paine shrugged, then without a word headed off towards it.

"And Tidus, like Wakka said.." Lulu's voice trailed off, and she raised an eyebrow at him as if he would protest. He blinked in surprise then quickly nodded.

"Yeah! I'm fine! Don't worry about me."

"Good night then." Lulu turned away and headed towards her and Wakka's hut, still looking quite tired from the battle as well.

"Ya, goodnight!" Wakka grinned, then jogged after her.

Rikku waved at them then turned around to face Yuna and Tidus. "Well, I guess I'll just leave you two lovebirds alone!" She winked, then skipped off grinning towards the huts.

"Rikku sure is.. happy." Tidus blinked, rubbing the back of his head. 

"It's nice, to see everyone happy again." Yuna smiled softly, then turned to look up at him. "I'll.. see you tomorrow, right?" She asked, feeling a hesitation enter her voice as her throat tightened.

"Of course." He replied, a look of seriousness replacing the amusement in his face. She nodded, then looked up at the stars.

"I'm not going to leave again, Yuna. Not if I can help it." He whispered softly, and took her in his arms tightly.

"Thank you." She whispered back, then kissed him softly.

For a moment they stayed in the embrace, and Yuna felt so happy she never wanted it to end. It was all so real, the warmth of the embrace, just like it had been. It'd all come true, and he was back. 

Unhappy to end the embrace but still happy, she let go and gave him a last smile. Turning away she headed towards her hut, all the loneliness that she'd felt for those two long years melt away.

"Good-night, Yuna." He called softly after her as she reached her hut, and she turned to wave at him with another smile. Then entering her hut, she closed the drapes behind her and collapsed on her bed with a tired sigh.

_'Maybe now..' _She thought, with a smile, _'I can dream again without the nightmares.'_

Within moments, she felt herself drifting off into a deep sleep, a sleep no longer tormented by the whistles and the images of a friend disappearing into the golden glow of Sin's remains.

~~~~~~~~

_'It hurts so much. You feel the pain too? It's always the same. Always. Never ending. Ending never. Help us. Help us. Iit is blinding. It is endless. It will not end. Dying, always dying, but never able to die. Help us..'_

Yuna looked to see who the voice belonged to. A shrouded shadow stood across a great rift, looking miserable and lost. From the distance, she could not make out what the person looked like underneath the shroud, though the voice led her to believe it was a woman.

"Who are you?" She asked, frowning as she stepped closer to the edge of the rift.

_'Do not come closer. You'll fall. Falling, falling, falling. Fall into the pain. Fall into death. Dying but unable to die. Do not come closer. You shall fall.'_

"What do you want?" Yuna heard herself ask, but the shroud only began to fade.

_'Help us.'_

It disappeared silently and left only a shapeless shadow. A single pyrefly drifted around in an endless circle, wobbling and looking as if it were just about to wink out of sight.

"What's going on?"

_'Yuna..'_

She turned, and gasped. Though half faded, the person was easy to recognize. Even though she had never known him very well, even though he had died when she was so young.

"Father!" 

_'Yuna.. all is not yet right. You must help this being, before the insanity grows too far and the Farplane is infected. Yuna, you must do this, you must help it.'_

"Help it..? I don't understand, what is going on? What is this being?"

_'I cannot help you, for I am gone. All I can do is tell you that you must stop it.'_

"Father.. is this just a dream?"

Braska was silent for a moment, then smiled slightly. _'I love you, Yuna. I am sorry I couldn't be there for you. You've made me proud, and I am happy you have found your way at last.. take care.. Yuna..'_ As the words ended he began to fade, and Yuna found herself running towards him.

"Father! Please don't leave! Father!" But as she reached the vision it had disappeared, and pyreflies began to scatter into the air. "No.." She cried, hanging her head. 

__

'Help us.'

"What's going on?" She cried, shaking her head in frustration. Everything had been going so well, and now.

_'Yuna!'_ A voice shouted in her mind, and she spun around only to see a unwelcome sight. _'You think you have all escaped. You have failed. Spira will never be safe, you will never be able to protect it.'_ Seymour snarled, sneering at her in distaste.

"Go away, you're not real." Glaring she backed away, wondering what in Spira was going on.

_'He is, but he is nothing more then a faded memory.'_

"Auron?" Yuna blinked, turning to see the warrior standing beside her. "What's going on?"  
_'The Fayth's dream has tied you to the Farplane's memories. Braska and I wanted to speak to you, but by doing so we had to open your mind to all the strongest memories of the Farplane.'_

"Why?" Yuna blinked, watching as the image of Seymour melted away into the darkness.

_'Something is calling.'_

"Calling?" Yuna echoed, feeling quite helpless and confused.

_'The Fayth are in danger. The fiends are the first to suffer, then it will be us. Then, the Fayth. You must stop it before it reaches the Fayth.'_

"But stop what?" Yuna cried, throwing her arms out in frustration.

_'The tormented spirit. She is calling out to everything that has the capacity to hear her. She is trying to reach everyone, trying to say something. We don't know any more then that, and we can do nothing to stop it. You must do this, she is part of your world. Look for clues to where to find her, the fiends must be the key.' _Before she could open her mouth to speak, he had disappeared as well.

Sighing, she looked around her and saw no more visions. "Why can't things just be peaceful.." Suddenly something appeared before her, half shrouded in darkness but still visible enough to make her jump back in horror. The creature looked like no fiend she had ever seen before, twisted and deformed as if it had been badly injured. But somewhere inside of it, she could hear a human voice.

__

'Help us.'

A huge claw reached for her, from a hand that looked disturbingly human. The dizziness overcame her again, and she heard a scream begin to flood through her mind. A endless scream that never ended, twisting over and over again, as if in agony. As the hand reached closer the sound grew louder, until Yuna felt as if she would go mad if she did not stop it. Struggling away from the horror she held her head in her hands, crying out against the screaming in her mind. Unable to fight the scream, she blindly pushed her fingers to her lips and let loose the only sound she could think of that might help her. 

~~~~~~~~

Tidus stared up at the ceiling, and tried to make himself think he wasn't in fact, deafened by the snoring of the Aurochs in the room with him. It reminded him almost of the times when he and the other blitzers of the Zanarkand Abes had been stuck in the same room when a hotel had been full. The sound he remembered almost fit the one he was hearing.

With a sigh, he closed his eyes and found himself wondering if Zanarkand was still there. Still in the same endless dream, somehow living on even though the Fayth had long stopped dreaming. Maybe it was all just a memory, and he had been living that memory, somewhere. Somehow.

_'It still doesn't make any sense.'_ He thought to himself, cringing as a snore hit a painful pitch.

How had he been able to exist in Zanarkand if it was a dream of the Fayth, and the Fayth had stopped dreaming? Maybe they hadn't? Or perhaps it was just a memory? Or perhaps somehow, it was real?

_'As if anyone's ever going to answer those questions for me.'_ Sitting up, he looked around the darkened hut. Unlike the others, he hadn't been doing anything much that day. While the others had been fighting battles against memories and machina on the Farplane, all he remembered..

Frowning, he tried to remember what it was he had been doing. Everything to do with Zanarkand seemed to be blurred in his mind, as if he really wasn't part of it anymore. Well, up until when he'd returned, anyway. Before that, he could still remember it all, just like it had been yesterday. Before Sin had appeared. 

_'Right. I'd been getting ready for the big game.' _He thought with a grin, then it faded. He loved Spira, and those who dwelled in it, but there was still a part of him that felt.. well, not home sick. He felt that Besaid was more his home then anything had ever been now. But still, Zanarkand held a large part of his memories. Fond memories. Shaking his head, he snorted.

_'No, I can't keep going back there. I'm going to stay here, this is where I belong now. Besides, like Wakka said, there's going to be a big game here. I'll just show them all how the Zanarkand Abes would do it.'_ Grinning, he stretched, and his mind began to wander more on the subject. _'I wonder if Wakka would let me teach the Aurochs some new tricks.. Then we could be the best blitzers in Spira!'_ Knowing there was no possible way he was going to get to sleep now, Tidus sat up and quietly walked over to the door of the hut. Poking his head out he saw that all the lights of the village were out, revealing the sparkling starlit sky. 

Walking out into the center of the village, he stretched again and stared up at them. The same as he remembered. It was comforting to see them again, Zanarkand was so bright it was difficult to see the stars sometimes.

_'Wonder what time it is.'_ He thought off hand to himself, trying to spot the moon. Having no luck in finding it, he guessed it was probably early morning. Sitting down on the flagstones, he looked up the stars and sighed, letting his mind wander over all the events of the day, and the numerous stories the others had shared with him.

_'I wonder why Brother is so convinced I'm Shuyin.'_ He thought with a frown, leaning back_. 'I guess he did kind of look like me, but.. Brother seems pretty protective of Yuna. Maybe it's because they're cousins? Or maybe..'_

He thought for a moment, then shook his head. _'I'll have to ask Yuna about that.'_

Grinning, he closed his eyes. _'I really am back. And Yuna's still here. Though, she sure did change..'_ Crossing his arms over his knees, he slowly looked around the village. _'But she's happy now. Maybe that's why she seems to have changed so much, she's happier then she used to be. Sin's gone and she didn't have to die after all.'_

_'I wish I hadn't disappeared.'_ He thought after a moment of silence, looking down to the flagstones. _'I wanted to protect her, and all I did was hurt her even more.'_ After another moment of consideration, he shook his head. _'Nah, no point in thinking like that. I'm here now, that's all that matters. I'll stay by her and I won't ever let her go again.'_ Standing up, he brushed the dirt off his pants and turned back towards the hut.

_'May as well just go try to sleep I guess.' _

A weak whistle broke through the silence and he nearly tripped on his own feet. Spinning around he looked over to Yuna's hut. Without pausing he began to run to it as fast as he could.

~~~~~~~~

Jerking up in bed she barely managed to hold a scream in as she struggled against the creature's hands. As she struggled she realized someone was saying her name, and as quickly as it had come, the dream dropped away and she was confronted with the familiar sight of her hut.

"Yuna, Yuna, it's just a dream!" Tidus held her tightly as she stopped struggling, realizing it wasn't some horrific creature trying to lure her into the darkness. Clutching his arm she buried her face in his shoulder, shivering as the screaming slowly faded away in her mind.

"Yuna?" He asked after a few moments, stroking her hair gently as she tried to get a hold of herself.

"Something was screaming..." She managed through a strangled sob as her own words sent pain through her aching head. "Something was in pain. It was trying to reach me, trying to get me to help it. But I couldn't help it..." Her voice trailed off, and she gripped him tighter.

"It's okay, it was just a dream." His voice sounded as if he was trying to be reassuring, but wasn't too sure if what he said was true.

"No... It wasn't a dream." She said slowly, opening her eyes and pulling away far enough to look up at him. "My... my father was there. And Sir Auron, and... Seymour." Her voice failing her, she shuddered and felt Tidus hold her tighter. 

"What happened?" He asked quietly, though she could tell there was a new anxious tone in his voice. 

Finally able to calm herself down enough to think straight, she sat up properly and sighed, looking down at her hands. Slowly she began to relate what had happened, everything she'd seen and heard, and everything that had happened when the pyreflies from the fiend had entered her. When she was finished, she saw him frown. She knew he believed her, but she could tell by his face that he didn't have any idea what it meant either.

"So you have to find this... thing? That's making the fiends go crazy? And that it's going to damage the Farplane somehow?" He asked, sitting on the edge of her bed and watching her carefully. "Auron never did figure out how to explain things without being confusing." He added, trying to smile a little as if to cheer her up.

"Yeah." Looking away from his eyes, she felt her shoulders sag. "But... I don't know where to start looking. I didn't want to start on another adventure. I just wanted... I just..." She felt her chest heave as the familiar feeling of wanting to cry began to ebb into her. She fought against it, though it was hard when he was looking at her with those soft blue eyes. She just wanted to be held, told it'd be alright, and that she didn't have to go on another world saving quest.

"I know." He whispered softly, and reached for her. Holding her gently to his chest, he stroked her hair and remained silent. Closing her eyes Yuna tried to enjoy the embrace, but found her mind flooded with the pictures of her father and the others.

"I'll help you, Yuna. You're not alone. The others will help to, don't worry. We'll all get through this, and fix whatever it is that needs fixing. Then we'll come home, okay?" His words gently nudged her out of her thought, and she opened her eyes. His words made her feel lighter inside, as if just hearing them somehow made things better. He was right. 

"But not right now. In the morning, okay? You need more sleep." He smiled, carefully pushing a strand of hair from her eyes. He hesitated for a moment, then started to stand up. 

"Don't go." She said softly, holding onto his hand. He raised an eyebrow, then sat back down. "Just... please stay with me. I feel safer with you here." He nodded silently, and laid down beside her ontop of the covers, cradling her in his arms.

Closing her eyes she felt herself begin to fall asleep again, though any fear of the screaming left her. He was there, it would be alright. He was back, now they could protect each other. It would all work out, somehow. Things always seemed to.


	7. Chapter 6 Mission Time

Glak! This took so much longer then I thought. I'm sorry for the delay, stuff happened. This chapter didn't go so smooth for me either, trying to figure out how to start things off. I hope that once it gets moving, it'll be easier, it's just while they're stuck in Besaid with so many characters, it can get a bit overwhelming.

I never thought it would go this far, that I'd actually get so many wonderful comments. @__@ Thank you so much, again, and please keep them coming.

Oh! And to address one comment from- *checks* - Lib, thank you very much for pointing that out. ^_^ I have trouble seeing mistakes sometimes because I don't often read over my own work (just a weird habit of mine) so I really was hoping if there were any mistakes, they'd get pointed out. So thank you! I realize now how dumby that was of me to write it like that. Sometimes I get writing so fast I miss silly things like that. I'll edit it later and re-load the chappy. Thankies again! ^_^ 

And in reply to another comment- from Dark Ki A.K.A LEE – That's the not so good normal ending… to get the best ending you have to press X about four times at the end of Chapter 2 when Yuna's in the Farplane and wanders around saying she's all alone. Then at the very end when she's walking through the Farplane you have to press X again to talk to the Fayth and say yes. Don't worry though, New Game Plus lets you start over again with the 100 percent, so you never ever have to fight evil Trema again, just have to do the X pressing at those key parts. Evil tricky Square. @____@ 

By the way, to get the New Game Plus option you have to finish the game, and keep pressing X when the thank you thing comes up, and it'll ask if you want to start over with all your stuff and percentage.

I hope that helps, somehow. 

And thanks to everyone else who's been commenting, makes me so happyeee. So, onward we go! As usual, I don't own FFX or FFX-2…

About the Perfect Ending… (yes… she's put it off again, ladies and gentlemen.) Well, I think I'm going to leave it for a few more chapters. Either it'll be at the end of this fic for closure, or it'll be in one of the next few chapters, when they go to Zanarkand. Terribly sorry about that…

Side note! The words that Yuna says in the first couple paragraphs, are lyrics… the translation (more or less) of Suteki Da Ne from FFX. I just thought it would be appropriate somehow, seeing she's all songstress-ish now and that song was a big part of FFX.

And here be Chapter 6 for you all! ^_^

~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 6

~~~~~~~~~~~

Words danced in Yuna's head, gently pulling her away from her sleep. But they were not words spoken by anyone save her own mind. Words she'd never heard before, or rather, not in such a sequence. They rang like a song in her mind. Just like the time Lenne's song had came to her so suddenly, the words seemed to be appearing to her on their own accord.

Stretching delicately she felt herself beginning to awake, as she murmured the words in a half daze, her lips barely moving. The words were comforting somehow, reminding her of something that had happened two long years before.

_"My heart was swimming in words gathered by the wind… My voice bounded into a cloud-carried tomorrow… My heart trembled in the moon-swayed mirror, soft tears spilled with a stream of stars… Isn't it beautiful? If we could walk, hand in hand…"_ Her voice trailed off as she became aware she was being watched. Slowly opening her eyes she was greeted by warm glints of sunlight streaking down onto her face, and onto someone's golden hair.

Smiling, she blinked away the sleepiness in her eyes and stretched again lazily.

"What's that from?" Tidus asked, an eyebrow raised in question and a smirk on his lips.

"I don't know. It just sort of came to me." She smiled, yawning a little and sank back down into the covers. It was so wonderful, she didn't want to get up. Not ever.

"Are you always so poetic in the morning?" He grinned, sitting up and leaning on his elbow.

"I'm not sure." She answered after a moment, finding no answer come to her. Curling up into a ball she snuggled back into the covers and hugged him. He smiled and kissed her lightly on the forehead, stroking her hair gently with his other hand.

"I don't want to get up." She sighed after a moment, and closed her eyes.

"Then don't! Stay here, with me." She could feel the grin in his words and she laughed aloud.

"I don't think the others would be too happy…" She mused, refusing to her open her eyes and face reality again.

"Who cares, Yuna? You should be happy."

She yawned again and opened her eyes, looking up into his blue ones. "Hmm." She smiled and hugged him tighter. "I am happy."

For a long few moments there was silence, until Yuna realized that no matter how badly she wanted it, she wasn't going to fall back asleep. Sighing she opened her eyes again to see him still watching her.

"Any more nightmares?" He asked, and a worried look seemed to settle in his eyes. She blinked, and tried to remember. She could still remember the nightmare with vivid detail, but after he'd come, there had been no dreams.

"No." She grinned, then added, "But I think your snoring chased them away."

"Hey!" He frowned, and she giggled in spite of herself. "I do not snore!"

"Yes you do." She grinned. She didn't think it was possible to be any happier.

"Well so do you!" He declared, pretending to be upset but unable to hide the smirk in his eyes.

"And how would you know that?" Yuna smirked right back at him.

"I… uh…"  
When he couldn't answer, she giggled again and gave him a playful push, sending him rolling and onto the floor with a thud.

"Hey!" He cried, and quickly got back up.

"Sorry!" She managed through her giggling fit, as he jumped back onto the bed and grabbed her.

"You know, I think Rikku's had a bad influence on you." He grinned as he tried to push her off the bed. 

"Maybe you were the bad influence!" She countered, crossing her arms.

"I am not!" He frowned, and put his hands on his hips. Grinning she was about to give him another push when voices could be heard outside.

"Shhh!" She whispered, covering her mouth to smother a giggle.

"You're the one who's being noisy." He whispered and held her tightly, burying his face in her neck.

"But, Paine! She's going to be hysterical! You can't just go in there and tell her that Tidus has disappeared!" Rikku's voice broke through the silence, and Tidus raised his head to give Yuna a questioning look.

"Hysterical, huh?"

"Ssshh!" She smacked him lightly, and covered his mouth with her hand.

"Rikku, you're the one who is getting hysterical." Paine's reply came after a moment of silence, her voice sounding somewhat stressed.

"You're worried too aren't you?" Rikku snapped back, and Yuna could hear the two of them stop.

"No, I'm not. You're irritating me, that's all." Paine muttered, and then resumed walking.

"You're worried!"

"Rikku, would you please stop yelling?" Paine sighed, coming even closer to Yuna's hut. Realizing where they were heading, Yuna looked at Tidus, then at her room. "I have a pretty good idea where he might be anyway." Paine concluded, stopping in front of Yuna's hut.

"You do? Then why didn't you say so?!" Rikku sighed, then pushed open the hut's opening.

"Don't just barge in-" Paine started, but was over run by Rikku's words.

"Yunie, we can't find Tidus and weeeeeeeeeee!" Her voice broke into a squeal and she nearly lost her balance and fell on her face.

"I told you." Paine sighed, poking her head in after Rikku. "Sorry to bother you, Yuna. Rikku wouldn't stop being a pest."

"That's okay." Yuna managed, feeling her face go quite red as Rikku stared at her, her cousin's mouth hanging open in shock. "But we didn't-"

"I don't want to know." Paine shook her head, then disappeared out of sight. Rikku however, was not so easily swayed. 

"Yunie… Tidus… You… You! You!" Was all she could managed for a long moment, gasping like a fish as she stared at Yuna, then at Tidus.

"It's not what it looks like…" Yuna's voice trailed off as she quickly got up and straightened her clothes. She'd been so tired last night she hadn't even taken the time to change. But then, neither had Tidus.

After a long, uncomfortable silence, Rikku finally closed her mouth. "So… you two… didn't?" She blinked, as if this was an unbelievable thing she was being told.

"No." Yuna felt her face slowly get even redder, as she put thought into what her cousin was implying. She'd been so tired and so upset all she wanted was comfort. She hadn't thought of anything like _that_. Tidus, who was still sitting on the bed, seemed for a moment completely lost in thought, as if he was considering what Rikku had just said as well. Yuna quickly looked back to her cousin and tried to get herself to stop blushing.

"… Yunieeee!" Rikku sighed, looking surprisingly disappointed. Before she could continue Tidus finally spoke.

"So what's for breakfast?" He asked quickly, clearing his throat and standing up beside Yuna. Rikku's mouth dropped again, completely knocked from her train of thought at his sudden question.

"I… uh… We're… uh… airship…" She managed, staring at Tidus as if he were crazy.

"Then let's go!" Yuna smiled, pushing past Rikku and heading towards the path, only to run straight into Lulu.

"Ah, so you did find him." Lulu's voice put a sudden chill in the air as Tidus and Rikku followed, stopping behind Yuna. Tidus smiled sheepishly, and Rikku seemed to still be in a daze.

"Um, Lulu…" Yuna started, but Lulu just smiled a little.

"You don't have to explain. Let's just go get some breakfast, before my husband devours it all."

Yuna nodded solemnly, feeling the redness slowly fade from her cheeks. As they walked towards the village, Rikku gave Yuna a sharp nudge in the ribs.

"Sooo what happened?" She hissed, a begging look on her face.

"I told you, nothing." Yuna sighed, but Rikku had no intention of giving up.

"Oh come on, Yunie! Why was Tidus sleeping in your hut?" Yuna cleared her throat a little, then looked towards the village.

"I'll explain later. There's something I have to tell everyone."

"Ohh! You're getting engaged! I knew it!" Rikku shouted suddenly, and everyone stopped in their tracks.

"… What?" Lulu asked, raising an eyebrow as she turned to look at Yuna and Tidus.

"That's not it!" Yuna sighed and quickly shook her head as Tidus began to cough absently.

"Well what is it?" Lulu crossed her arms, and blinked.

"You're going to have a baby! I knew it!" Rikku almost shouted, punching the air as if she'd made the correct guess.

Yuna's eyes went about twice their normal size as she looked over to her cousin and squeaked in surprise. "RIKKU!" 

"I knew it! I knew it! Yunie's going to have a-"

"That's not it either." Tidus managed, coughing again as if something were caught in his throat. Yuna focused on a rock on the ground and felt her face burn.

"Rikku, here's some basic logic. Yuna couldn't possibly know if she was going to have a baby even if she had-" Paine started, emerging from the shadows of one of the huts and walking over to Rikku.

"That's not helping." Lulu's calm voice cut through Paine's, and the warrior shrugged in reply.

"But…" Rikku's voice trailed off, looking even more disappointed. "So Yunie's not going to have a baby?"

"No!" Yuna managed, though the sound was more of a squeak then an actual word. Tidus mumbled something but it was so low nobody quite caught it.

"Awww…" Rikku sighed, looking quite put off. "Well where's the fun in that?" She frowned, crossing her arms.

"To the point, why is the reason, Yuna?" Lulu sighed, ignoring Rikku completely.

"It's just… it would be easier to explain to everyone. It's something rather important, but it doesn't have anything to do with me. Or Tidus." She quickly added, eyeing Rikku's eager look.

"Nuts." Rikku muttered, and kicked a rock into the bush sulkily.

Lulu sighed and rolled her eyes, then started walking again. Yuna following closely, she tried to avoid her cousin's eyes and stare at a point on the horizon.

Passing through the village, they started towards the beach where the airship still sat. Apparently they had decided to have breakfast on the ship instead of in the village, so they could all talk without having to have all the villagers cut in. 

As they came to the docking ramp that was now resting on the beach instead of the water, Lulu paused and held Yuna back as the others entered.

"I think it would be best if you didn't mention anything to Wakka about what happened between you and Tidus last night." Before Yuna could open her mouth to say anything, Lulu shook her head. "I know, you didn't do anything. I just meant, that Wakka might not be very understanding about you two sharing a room when you're not married. Wakka always has been a bit… set in his ideas about things like that." Yuna nodded wordlessly, knowing perfectly well how Wakka could over react about things. Even two years, he still held quite a few of the Yevon teachings to his heart.

"And… It'd probably best not to mention it around Cid either. He does like Tidus, but you know, he feels the same way as Wakka about this sort of thing."  
"I know." Yuna sighed, but nodded. Even though she had no intention of telling anyone yet, she appreciated Lulu's understanding and wish to help. "Thanks, Lulu."

"I'm just glad you're happy." Lulu smiled a little then started up the ramp into the airship. Staying behind a moment to look to the beach where just yesterday she had seen him, she smiled and closed her eyes. It was finally sinking in. He was truly back, and it wasn't just a dream. They'd brought him back.

_'Thank you, wherever you are.'_

~~~~~~~

Breakfast, under Tidus's honest opinion, was not going as well as he'd hoped. Yuna sat beside him, though she was staring at her plate wordlessly and looking somewhat unhappy. 

Rikku was sitting across the table, chattering endlessly to Lulu who gave the occasional nod in reply, but didn't seem very interested. Beside Rikku sat Brother, who had never taken his eyes of Tidus since he'd entered the room. Fixing his eyes into a glare, Brother seemed to still suspect Tidus of being Shuyin. Tidus found it quite difficult to eat and ignore the fact that he was being watched. Like Yuna, he sat silently staring at everything around him.

Cid too, was chattering endlessly, though his conversation was directed more to Tidus and Yuna, saying things about how happy he was to see his niece finally settle down and how happy he was to see Tidus was back. Rikku would occasionally cut in with a poisoned remark about how Cid was being overly protective of Yuna, and Cid would retaliate with an equally poisoned remark about how Rikku was running around showing off skin and still hadn't settled down.

"Are they… always like this?" Tidus whispered to Yuna, finding himself slightly weary of the whole thing.

"Yes." She sighed, picking up her fork and poking at the food on her plate aimlessly.

All the others sat quietly and ate, either speaking among themselves or watching the spectacle of Cid's family.

Slowly, Yuna placed her fork back down onto the plate and cleared her throat. No one seemed to notice and continued chattering away.

"Rikku, you should go find yourself a man and settle down too. Look at Yuna! She's happy. And she didn't have to go running around Spira to find herself a man. She just came home, and there he was! Maybe if you took a moment in your life to stop and smell the flowers, you'd be happy too!" Cid was raving, waving a fork in his daughter's direction with a disturbing amount of purpose.

"Grow up, old man! I'm doing fine by myself, and don't treat Yunie like some housewife! She's not going to quilt the Gullwings just because she's found her hunky guy!" 

"A hunky guy, huh?" Tidus grinned, and Yuna elbowed him with a frown.

"How do you know?" Cid glared, standing up and glowering over at his daughter.

Across the table, Brother scowled even darker. Tidus sighed and stared at his plate.

Yuna cleared her throat again, but still no one seemed to notice. Finally, Tidus couldn't take it anymore. Jumping up, he waved his arms and yelled.

"HEY!" A deafening silence fell over the table and everyone looked up at him in surprise. "Yuna's trying to tell you something." He said quickly, then sat back down and looked to Yuna. She nodded distantly and smiled, then stood up herself. All eyes were on her, even Brother's, as she looked around the table.

"Everyone… There's something I have to tell you. Last night I had this dream…"

~~~~~~~~~

Yuna sat silently at the table, aware that everyone had gone utterly silent and was watching her with confused looks on their faces. She knew they believed her, their expressions didn't deny it, but she also knew they were confused by the whole matter, and wanted her to explain it. But she was just as confused as they were.

"So… this creature, is what made that fiend last night go crazy and attack?" Lulu spoke first, carefully putting down her cup and folding her arms over her chest.

"Yes. That's what Sir Auron said. He said that it was making the fiends go crazy, and if it wasn't' stopped, it would eventually harm the Farplane." Yuna said quietly.

"What does it matter if it reaches the Farplane? The Farplane can't be hurt, right?" Rikku frowned, tilting her head.

"Yes, it can. You remember, how Shuyin and Vegnagun hurt the Fayth and made fiends pour from the temples. This is probably the same sort of thing." Paine said from the far end of the table, watching Yuna carefully but with a calm look upon her face. "Right now it's only making the fiends attack. If it goes on, it'll affect the spirits in the Farplane, and then, the Fayth. Right, Yuna?"

Yuna nodded again. "I think that's what my father, and Sir Auron, meant. If the Fayth are disturbed again, the fiends will start coming back. And anything connected to the Fayth…" Her voice trailed off and she felt her throat begin to clench.

"Meaning…" Wakka blinked, then looked over to Tidus and quickly stopped before he said anymore. Tidus stared at the table and didn't say anything.

"How long do we have?" Buddy asked, sounding as calm as ever.

"I don't know. I think we're alright for now, as long as we start looking." Yuna replied, forcing the tightness out of her throat and clenching her fists against the rising worry.

"Yeah, but for what?" Rikku sighed, shaking her head. "How are we supposed to find something we don't even know about? I mean, did Auron tell you anything about it?"

"Not really." Yuna sighed. "But… I think the dreams hold a clue, somehow. I'm not sure yet. We have to find out more about these crazed fiends. The pyreflies that entered me from that fiend last night seemed to trigger something. Maybe… if we… find more of them, the same thing will happen."

"Sounds like a good idea, but how do we know it's not hurting you?" Paine frowned, crossing her arms.

"I… think it's just the dreams. I think they'll go away if we find out what's going on."

_'I hope.'_ She added to herself, feeling her mood sink. _'I think. I don't know. Why did it have to become so complicated again so soon.'_

"So, I guess that makes things pretty clear." Buddy stood up, looking around the table. "We have to find more of these fiends, somehow find some clues to what's making them go crazy, and then go after it. And somehow stop it, before it reaches the Fayth."

"Yes." Yuna nodded, feeling oddly helpless. 

"Great! Another mission for the Gullwings!" Rikku cried, jumping up enthusiastically. Yuna almost smiled, but even despite her cousin's happy nature, she still felt horribly worried. Worried that somehow they wouldn't be able to stop it. Worried that it would reach the Fayth, and… She didn't want to think anymore about it. Closing her eyes she bowed her head, clenching her fists at her sides.

"Yuna…" Tidus whispered beside her, and she felt him take one of her hands and hold it firmly. They both knew what he was going to say. Unspoken words passed between them and she somehow felt lighter again. She had her friends. She had him. And she wasn't going to let anything take it away again.

"Alright! Hey Brother, go get the Airship started!" Rikku waved her hand at her brother with a grin. Brother stared at her blankly and frowned.

"And go where?"

Rikku paused, then looked over to Yuna. "Yunie…?"

"I don't know." Yuna managed, still keeping her eyes tightly closed. "Sir Auron didn't say."  
"We have to find more fiends. Maybe there are more around Spira. We should check the commspheres and see-" Paine started, but was cut off when Shinra entered the room from the hallway.

"One step ahead of you. Yuna, I've got a message on the commsphere for you. It's from Nooj in Luca. He said they've been having problems with some fiends and they'd appreciate it if the Gullwings would come help. Seems they're pretty over run."  
"Well, I guess that solves that problem." Yuna sighed, seeing the beginning of a long road ahead.

"Hey, wait! That means you're going to Luca, ya?" Wakka looked around the table, and as no one answered Yuna nodded. Wakka grinned, and rubbed his hands together. "That's great, ya! We can come with you and go to the tournament!"

Lulu sighed beside him but didn't say anything. Yuna saw Tidus's eyes light up at the very mention of the word 'tournament'.

"This isn't some pleasure cruise." Paine muttered, shooting a look of distaste at Wakka, who seemed completely oblivious to it.

"That sounds great!" Rikku piped up, grinning madly and bouncing again. "When Yunie's all done with her chat, we can all have some fun!"

"We're supposed to be finding out what's wrong with the fiends, not playing Blitzball." Paine muttered again, but Rikku stuck her tongue out at her.

"Oh stop it, Paine! I know you like playing Blitzball just as much as Yunie does."

Tidus looked over to Yuna with a surprised look. "Blitzball?" He blinked, staring at her in disbelief. "You didn't tell me that."

Yuna grinned a little. "Well, you didn't ask. The Gullwings took the place of the Aurochs for the first part of the tournament."

Tidus blinked again and smiled. "Wow. I never thought you'd be one to play Blitzball, Yuna. I'm impressed."

From across the table, Brother muttered something in Al Bhed that sounded suspiciously rude.

"Well, I'm not very good." Yuna smiled a little then looked down at her plate.

"I'm sure you're great!" He argued, a smile on his face that lit up his blue eyes.

"We're getting away from the point." Paine sighed, drumming her fingers on the table. "Shouldn't we start off for Luca before it gets any later?"

"You're right, we should." Yuna stood up, and slowly the others followed suit. "So, who's going?"

"Well, I'll come as far as Luca, but I've already done my last mission with the Gullwings." Shinra said quietly from the hallway, and Yuna felt her face drop.

"You really are leaving?" Rikku cried, looking over to the Al Bhed.

"I've made a deal with Gippal and everything is arranged. I'm going to be working in Luca from now on. But don't worry, you guys can still contact me with the commspheres." Somehow Yuna could tell that he wasn't entirely cheerful about leaving.

"You're always welcome here." Yuna smiled, feeling herself missing him already. Shinra mumbled something, then walked over to where she was, hugging her knees. Kneeling down she hugged him back, telling herself inside to smile and not show any tears.

"I know." He sighed, then stepped back and looked over to the others.

"Alright, so Shinra's going. Anyone else?" Buddy raised an eyebrow, looking around the table.

"I'm staying!" Calli announced from the corner, and Yuna realized for the first time that the girl had been present. She'd been sitting in the corner and had been so quiet, no one had seemed to notice her at all. Buddy nodded with a grin then looked back to Yuna.

"How about you, Yuna?" He said with a grin in his voice, knowing perfectly well that she was the main reason they had to go in the first place.

"Of course."

"I'm in too, but this is the last time." Paine added, not looking at anyone in particular and seeming to have an edge of regret in her voice.

"You're… leaving?" Rikku cried, turning to Paine with a look of horror.

"Not yet. But this is my last mission. I have to take care of things in my life too, you know." Paine continued, though her eyes seemed to betray a hint of sadness. Rikku looked as if she were about to burst into tears.

"But you can't go… You're…" Her voice trailed off and she sat back down, staring at her lap and biting her lip.

"We'll just go as far as Luca, ya? Then we'll stay there for the tournament, and let you guys do your thing." Wakka quickly said, trying to avoid another conflict between Rikku and perhaps some other member of the Cid family. 

"What happened to staying home and being a father?" Tidus asked, raising his eyebrows with a glint of a smile.

"Hey! I still am, ya? Lu's going to come with us, ya?"

"Is that alright, with the baby?" Yuna asked, looking over to Lulu who nodded quietly.

"I have a friend in Luca whom I wanted to see, it's a good a time as ever." She said, looking to her husband with a sigh. "And even if I tried, there'd be no talking Wakka out of the tournament, not with Tidus back." 

"Ah, sorry Lulu." Tidus said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

She smiled a little as if she found is comment amusing, but didn't say anything.

"What about him?" Brother finally spoke up, pointing to Tidus. "Where's he going to go?"

Rikku looked up at her Brother with a look of surprise. "Haven't you been listening? He's coming with us of course!"

Brother scowled, eyed Tidus suspiciously, then looked back to Rikku. "To Luca, yes. But not on the mission."  
Rikku paused, looking from Yuna, to Tidus, then back to Brother. "No… silly! Tidus is going to be part of the Gullwings!"

"Here it comes." Paine muttered as Brother squawked aloud.

"HIM?" He shouted, pointing at Tidus but not making eye contact. Tidus sighed and crossed his arms, looking quite fed up. Yuna felt herself wanting to slid down further in her chair and disappear. '_Is this ever going to end?'_

"Yes, him!" Rikku snapped, pointing to Tidus as well.

"Ohh no! He's not coming on this ship!" Brother snarled, and crossed his arms. "I don't want any Farplane Freaks following us around so he can destroy all of Spira!"

Rikku stared blankly at him for a moment, then scowled. "Oh! Why do you have to be so stupid! He's not Shuyin!"

"Who is Captain? I am! I am the Captain! I say that he is." Brother declared, pointing once more at Tidus who glared.

"That doesn't make it true!" Rikku sighed, shaking her head. Brother paused, then scowled at lack of anything to say in reply. 

"That's it, who made you Captain anyway?" Rikku continued, waving her hands in the air with too much purpose. "I say we make a new Captain!" 

"Mutiny!" Brother shouted, jumping backwards and looking somewhat shocked.

"Brother, calm down." Buddy sighed, sitting back down in his chair and looking a little annoyed. "Nobody's taking over."

"But she said-" Brother started, but was cut off when Yuna stood up and everyone stopped to look at her.

"Brother…" She sighed, knowing perfectly well why he didn't want Tidus to be part of the Gullwings. Why Brother didn't want to accept the fact that Tidus was back at all. "Please… let him, for me?" She said quietly, not wanting to say it in such a way. Not wanting to hurt him any more then she probably already had.

Brother fell silent, and watched her with a growing sadness in his eyes. He was slowly realizing that no matter how hard he fought against it, he couldn't stop the feelings Yuna felt.

After a long moment, Brother slowly sat back down. Though he didn't say anything, Yuna felt as if he'd somehow replied. But the expression on his face made her want to somehow comfort him, though she knew if she did it would only make things worse.

"I'm sorry, Brother." She said quietly, so quietly that only he and Tidus seemed to notice.

"Alright then, so that's settled?" Rikku shot another glare in Brother's direction, but he didn't seem to notice. "Tidus is coming with us! More members for the Gullwings!" She grinned, and bounced a couple times in glee. "This is going to be great!"

"I bet!" Tidus grinned back, looking quite happy at finally being accepted into the 'family' of sorts. Yuna had always had a feeling that if he'd been around, he would have fit in with the Gullwings perfectly. Now it seemed she had a chance to see if she'd been right.

"So, we're off to Luca?" Buddy asked, standing up. "I'll go get the engines started." Without waiting for an answer, he left the room and headed towards the elevator.

"Hey! I give the orders! I fly the ship! Wait for me!" Brother suddenly shouted, running after Buddy without so much as a second glance behind him. Cid followed the two with his eyes then glared, standing up.

"Those kids don't know anything about how to take care of this ole girl. I'm going to go make sure they don't screw up." He announced to no one in particular, and started off after them. Rikku frowned, and shot a dark look at her father's direction.

"As if you know anything!" She snapped, and leapt from her seat. Trotting after him she started to berate him, and he shouted something quite unpleasant sounding in Al Bhed. Rikku, completely unaffected, retaliated with another bout of insults.

"Well, I guess it's all settled finally." Paine sighed, looking to Tidus. "Congratulations. You've become part of the happy, crazy, family. You should have run while you could." Though she sounded serious, Yuna could see a small glint of humor somewhere in her eyes. Tidus only laughed, and shook his head.

"Nah, I think they're great." Paine raised an eyebrow in question, but simply shrugged.

"We'll just stay out of the way until we get to Luca." Lulu said quietly, nodding towards herself, Wakka, and the Aurochs. "There's no point in us crowding around the bridge, when it'll just be a short trip."

"Are you kidding, Lu?" Wakka exclaimed, staring at her in surprise. "You want to miss the chance to go see this thing fly? It's been ages since we've been on one of these!" 

"Yes, and this was too soon." Lulu sighed, reaching over to the crib beside her chair to soothe a crying Vidina. "I'll stay here and look out the window, thank you. If you must go watch, then go." Wakka hesitated for a moment, as if torn between the duty of being a father and the want to go see. "It's alright, Wakka. I'll be fine." Lulu sighed after a moment, and it seemed to quell all the worry in his mind. Bounding off down the hall, he too left the room and disappeared into the elevator.

"So much for breakfast." Yuna sighed, leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes. "So much for peace and quiet." She added, looking up at the ceiling.

"Hey, peace and quiet is over-rated." Tidus grinned, grabbing her hand again and holding it tight. "We can always come back here, Yuna." He said quietly after a moment, and she felt herself smile. He was right. She had to learn how to stop worrying about things.

Except, it was hard to not worry, when things seemed to always go badly. 

_'Maybe this fiend business won't be so bad. Maybe we'll find the answer quickly.'_ She almost laughed at herself. _'Maybe.'_

"Well, onward to Luca." Paine said after a moment, then got up and headed towards the bridge. "Golly, the fun just never stops."

Once again, Yuna found herself agreeing with the warrior's sarcasm.

~~~~~

A/N: Waahoo! That only took… forever to get out right. @_____@ I'm sorry about the delay. But in any case… finally, we're starting to move along! Next chapter we have – Meeting with Nooj, Baralai, Gippal, and some others yet to be named ^_^ - Blitzball – and more plot! (And no doubt, more fluffy romance stuff…. Oopsy…)

Coming soon… whenever I can get the chappy out. Probably in a week, but hopefully less. .


	8. Chapter 7 Answers and Goals

Ummm… I realize this is very late. Urrghhh god… this chapter was hell to get started. Partly because of writer's block, partly from some depressing events in real life, and partly because lack of inspiration… I lent my friend FFX-2 and now I'm finding it hard to work on a fic about it when I can't play the game. X_X So please, forgive me if this chapter isn't very good… it didn't go well at first.

Thanks again for all the lovely comments… please keep them coming, they're the main drive of writing this thing at the moment.

As usual, I don't own FFX or FFX-2. I'm just a rabid Tidus/Yuna fan who decided to write a fic. Please don't sue me. 

This is a few pages longer then normal, to make up for my lateness. I'm sorry if the last bit seems a bit rushed, I am not a sports person, and found it a wee bit difficult to write that much about it. I hope it works.

I really hope this chapter is okay. I'm almost kind of terrified to post it actually, for fear it's not that great compared to the others. . Pleeease comment… I need to know how it is. Otherwise I'm going to be too scared to start another chappy right away…

But anyhow… Here you have it… Chapter 7… after too long a wait.

~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Chapter 7  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


"Are we there yet?" Rikku asked impatiently, putting her hands on her hips. Brother growled something from the cockpit, but didn't turn around.

"You asked that five minutes ago." Paine grumbled, shooting the thief a poisonous look.

"But you said we'd been in Luca in time for the game!" Rikku cried, flapping her arms to her sides in annoyance as she turned to Wakka. "We're going to be late!"

"Since when are you so worried about Blitzball?" Paine asked, raising an eyebrow as Rikku bounced up and down from one foot to another.

"Since this is the big game! Because it's us against them!" Rikku snapped impatiently, indicating with an arm towards Wakka.

"Who?" Yuna blinked, looking up from her spot where she was sitting on the deck.

"Us of course! Against them!" Rikku declared, grinning broadly and waving her arm again at Wakka who looked amused.

"Who's us?" Paine asked mildly, crossing her arms. Rikku slowly let her arms fall to her sides, then rolled her eyes.

"Gee, Paine! Where have you been? The Gullwings were filling in for the Aurochs, but now since the Aurochs are going into the tournament, we get to go up against them!"

Paine paused for a moment, staring Rikku directly in the eyes. After a extended silence, she closed her eyes. "Oh no. I am not playing Blitzball again."  
"Aww, Paine!" Rikku cried, her face falling as she looked over to Yuna. "Yunie! Tell her we have to!"

Yuna sighed and pulled herself up, walking over to where they stood. "You guys might be able to play, but I have to talk to Nooj and the others." 

Rikku paused, looking as if she'd forgotten that important detail. "Ah!" She managed, trying to smile as though she'd known the whole time. Looking disappointed, Rikku turned towards Paine again.

"Alright! That means it's just you, me, Brother, Buddy, Shinra, Calli, Pops, and Barkeep!"

"Cid? Calli? Barkeep?" Paine echoed, staring at Rikku in disbelief. "…I'm speechless." Paine sighed, shaking her head and walking over to the bridge.

"Whaat?" Rikku frowned. 

"Two kids on the team, plus a Hypello, plus the Cid family. And you're trying to drag me and Buddy into this? Rikku, not on your life."

"Aww, but it'll be fun!" Rikku cried, frowning even harder. "Come on, Paine! Pleeeeease?"

"No." Paine snapped, and turned away from Rikku, pointedly ignoring her.

"What, afraid you might lose, ya?" Cackled Wakka, grinning widely as he walked up beside them and crossed his arms. Rikku's eyes blazed and even Paine turned slightly to look at him.

"Yeah right, tubby!" Rikku sniffed, elbowing Wakka roughly.

"If that's how you see it, then I'm in." Paine said quietly, and Rikku looked ecstatic. "But only for one game." The warrior added, sighing as she watched Rikku bounce energetically around the bridge.

Yuna frowned, surprised that Paine had given in so easily. Perhaps deep down, she had a hidden nature that liked to compete and wouldn't let her stand down a challenge? 

"One game is enough! That's all we need to beat those softies." Rikku bounced, grinning madly at Wakka's direction. Wakka grinned a little, looking anything but intimidated.

"So what about me?" Tidus asked, crossing his arms and looking over to them.

There was a moment of pause, then Wakka laughed. "You're with us, of course! With you on our team, we can't possibly lose, ya?"

"That's right!" Tidus grinned, and Yuna grinned with him. He still had the same energy, the same passion about Blitzball. It'd always been something she'd found fascinating about him, and she was relieved to see it hadn't disappeared in those two long years.

Rikku stopped bouncing, and slowly turned to Tidus. "Ha! You're not that good, blitzer-boy!"

"Wanna bet?" Tidus grinned, a challenge on his face.

"Darn straight!" Rikku snapped, and crossed her arms. 

"Oh brother." Paine sighed.

Yuna watched as Rikku and Tidus faced each other, both looking quite happy though it was quite obvious they were going through with whatever bet they thought of. She couldn't help but smile.

_'Except I won't be able to see it.'_ She sighed to herself, her smile fading.

"So what's the bet going to be, ya?" Wakka asked, looking from Rikku to Tidus.

"No, no betting without my approval!" Brother snapped, turning around to glare at all three of them.

"Oh shut up already!" Rikku cried, waving her hands at him in annoyance. "Leave the betting to me! I've always been lucky." She grinned, her eyes twinkling as Cid rolled his eyes.

"This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." He sighed, shaking his head.

"Nobody asked you, pops!" Rikku sniffed, turning back to Tidus. "You're not so tough! You and ole chubby over there can't possibly win this game!" She grinned, and crossed her arms. "I bet you won't even score two goals!"

"Oh yeah?" Tidus smirked, crossing his arms as well.

"Yeah!" She glared, putting her hands on her hips.

"Don't turn this into a betting match…" Paine shook her head, looking scornfully at Rikku and Tidus, both of whom ignored her.

"You're on!" He laughed, and it only seemed to encourage Rikku. She scowled, and flicked her hand at him.

"Right! If the Gullwings win, you have to-"

"NO no no, Rikku!" Brother interrupted suddenly, spinning around in his cockpit as if stuck by an idea. "None of your senseless betting! I have a better one!"

Rikku rolled her eyes. "Oh really?"

"Yes!" Brother snapped, scrambling out of chair and landing on the bridge with a thud. Walking over to the middle of the bridge, he shot a glare in Tidus's direction.

"If the Gullwings win…" He paused as if for effect, then crossed his arms, "You, Farplane Freak, will release Yuna from whatever curse, and go back to the Farplane!"

Tidus scowled darkly, and Brother seemed quite pleased with himself. Yuna felt her heart jump at the very idea of Tidus going back the Farplane, but managed to keep herself calm. Brother seemed to still believe, or wished to believe, that Tidus was Shuyin. 

_'Brother still doesn't understand… Why does this have to be so complicated?'_

Tidus cut his arm through the air as he leaned forward to glare at Brother. "And if the Aurochs win, you'll stop calling me that, accept that I'm not Shuyin, and stop pining over Yuna!"

Paine slowly began to edge away from the two, wincing as the voices grew louder. Yuna stared blankly at the both of them, wondering why it was happening and what in Spira she could do to stop it.

_'Pining…'_ She thought for a moment, then it struck her. She'd heard Brother talking to Buddy once about her, and his words had been… She stopped suddenly and winced. Why had she been quite so blind to it before?

Brother stared at Tidus for a moment, then shut his open mouth and glared down at the warrior. He began to chatter angrily in Al Bhed, before he seemed to realize what he was doing and stopped. Frowning, he struggled for a moment with the words, then spat them out with a lingering glare. "If you're not Shuyin, why else would you steal Yuna away? You want to take her to the Farplane and turn her into… into… another Farplane Freak!"

"Steal?" Tidus asked dangerously, his glare increasing every moment.

"Head for cover." Shinra sighed, and hunched further over his computer terminal.

Rikku opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by Tidus before she had the chance.

"Why would I want to do that?!" He cried, leaning closer to Brother with growing fury. Yuna felt herself feeling almost sick. She didn't want fighting, especially not over her. 

"Because…" Brother paused for a moment, as if thinking. Before anyone could move to speak however, he seemed to recover. "Because you're trying to destroy Spira, and you-"

"For the last time, I'm not Shuyin!" Tidus interrupted, flinging his arms out to his sides and looking quite irritated. 

"Yes you are!" Brother declared angrily, crossing his arms again and looking stubborn.

"But-" Rikku started, only to be cut off by Tidus.

"This is crazy!" He sighed, shaking his head. "There's nothing I can do to prove it, is there?"

Brother just scowled.

Yuna sighed aloud. It wasn't ever going to stop, unless someone finally managed to get through to Brother. She could see from his face that he was about to say something else, and lead the argument even further, to a pointless spiral.

"That's it." She whispered to herself, and strode up to both of them, standing in-between them suddenly before Brother could even open his mouth.

"Brother…" She sighed, cutting off his words before he even opened his mouth. His eyes locked onto her and he seemed to hover on whatever she was going to say.

_'I'm sorry.'_ She though unhappily, realizing there was no easy way to say any of this.

"Brother. Please… Believe me. He isn't Shuyin. Shuyin is gone. Tidus would never do anything to harm Spira or any of us. He was the one who helped save Spira from Sin."

There was a long pause, as Brother looked from Yuna, to Tidus. All three of them knew the question that he wanted to ask, the words he wanted to say, but he seemed to be afraid of saying them. He knew the answer. They all knew it. 

"…I'm sorry." Brother said after another long pause, and Yuna thought she saw something glinting in his eyes, perhaps tears. "You are… right, Yuna. I was… Foolish." He looked away, avoiding Tidus's gaze, and stared at the floor.

"Brother, I…" Her voice trailed off. It was just like it had been earlier that morning, only this time it seemed to sink in more. The others who had been watching slowly edged away, all save Tidus and Brother who still stood silently.

"You… love him?" Brother managed after a long moment, still looking at the floor. He said it so quietly Yuna barely heard.

"…Yes." She nodded, just as quietly, though she knew he heard her.

Slowly, Brother turned away, and sat back down in the cockpit, staring out at the sky silently and seemingly completely calm. Yuna watched him for a moment, and tried to convince herself there was nothing she could do to make it better. Maybe things would get better now. Or maybe they'd get worse. Struggling against the emotions, she tried to keep the fact that she had a long day ahead of her in mind. She couldn't fall apart now.

"I guess… no betting?" Rikku asked quietly, looking around sheepishly.

"You bet." Paine said from somewhere in the corner, and when Yuna looked over to her she could almost see the hint of a smile on the warrior's lips. Rikku sighed and rolled her eyes, sitting down in her seat with a loud thud.

"Well that's no fun." She muttered, leaning her elbow on the side and staring off into the clouds.

"Don't worry, you'll get your dose of fun at the parties, ya?" Wakka grinned, seemingly unfazed by the entire occurrence.

"Parties!" Rikku shouted, spinning around.

"That explains why she didn't want to be late." Paine muttered, and Yuna giggled a little, in spite of the mood that hung over her.

"Yah! Yunie, we can all party, after you come back from the council and we're finished beating the pants of the Aurochs!"

"Dream on!" Tidus snapped, though he was grinning as he said it.

"We don't have any time for-" Paine started, but Yuna shook her head.

"I think that's a great idea, Rikku."

Rikku's eyes lit up and Tidus's did as well. "Whoohoo! Party time!" Rikku giggled, clapping her hands together. "I can't wait!"

"Sounds like fun." Tidus said, grinning even wider.

"You bet!" Yuna smiled, twirling around in spite of herself. Paine groaned from somewhere in the corner, and Rikku just cackled. 

"Gullwings!" Brother suddenly shouted, and everyone looked over to where he sat. Any look of sadness had seemed to vanish from his face, and he'd gone back to being the usual 'Captain' Yuna had come to known. She smiled a little, as he stood up and waved his arms around as if trying to get their attention. "Prepare to land!" He shouted, pointing towards the elevator, looking as serious as ever. Paine sighed again, as if irritated with his sudden burst of energy and commands. 

"Yes sir!" Yuna grinned, saluting a little and Rikku did the same beside her. She could see the start of a smile on Brother's face, before he turned around and looked back out to the window. Below, Luca was already coming into view and the airship began to slow.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Yuna cleared her throat quietly, then regarded the gathered three who were watching her with curious looks on their faces. Nearby on the table, four Comm-spheres lay, both silently humming as they transmitted the conversation back to their holders.

"So… you think this, dream of yours, is connected to the fiends going crazy?" Gippal asked after a moment, tilting his head in curiosity. 

Yuna nodded quietly, and waited for the others to speak.

"It's possible…" Baralai said quietly, staring into space with a curious look on his face, as if he were trying to remember something.

"Are you sure it wasn't just a dream?" Nooj spoke finally, raising an eyebrow in question.

"I'm sure." Yuna replied quickly, and the certainty in her voice seemed to end his question. He sighed, then looked to one of the Comm-spheres.

"You said you had the same dreams?" He asked, and in the sphere, Dona's face nodded.

"Yes, but not to the extent Yuna seems to have." The woman replied, shrugging a little. "The dream was just of some… creature, screaming for help. It happened after Barthello and I slew a fiend that was attacking the village. Like the one in Besaid, it seemed mutated, and crazed."

Nooj looked away for a moment, considering.

From another sphere, Issaru cleared his throat softly. "I too, encountered such a fiend, which was trying to attack the High Bridge of Bevelle. The dream I had was… disturbing, but not nearly as vivid as Yuna's. As Dona said, it was merely this creature screaming."

"Has anyone else had these dreams?" Yuna asked, looking around the room.

"Ronso were attacked by crazed fiends, but no Ronso had such dreams after slaying them." Kimarhi's strong voice broke through the silence, and Yuna felt herself almost relieved to hear him. She missed him dearly, he had always been such a good friend and protector to her. When Sin was defeated, Kimarhi no longer had to protect her. At first, he was hesitant to go, but Yuna had told him to go help his people. It seemed he was now bound to that promise.

"And we too, the Guado, have had such encounters. But we have not had any dreams containing such a… creature." Tromell spoke from the last sphere, hesitant and still unsure of his new place as leader of the Guado.

"So it's just the summoners." Gippal crossed his arms, looking over to Yuna. "Only the summoners can hear it."

"And Yuna hears it the strongest because she defeated Sin. Because she was in contact with the aeons." Baralai spoke softly, still staring off into space.

"Are you trying to tell us something?" Nooj asked, turning to look at the white haired man.

Baralai shook his head slowly, pulling himself out of his daze. "I'm not sure. I've never heard of anything like this before. Fiends going crazy… attacking people… then setting off pyreflies that give dreams to the summoners. No." He paused, then continued. "But I have heard of something like this 'screaming' creature."

"Well? What is it? Come on Baralai, spit it out." Gippal sighed impatiently, leaning on the side of his chair.

Baralai looked to Yuna. "The only thing that has enough power to speak to the summoners in dreams, would be an Fayth."

Yuna felt herself nearly jump from her seat.

"A Fayth?" She managed, staring at him in disbelief.

"From the Farplane? But I thought they weren't strong enough to do much anymore?" Nooj frowned.

"They were strong enough to bring that… Zanarkand boy, into Spira." Baralai said slowly, but then shook his head. "But it's not them."

"What makes you so sure?" Gippal frowned, uncrossing his arms and putting them on his hips.

"Because all the Fayth in the Farplane are sane." Yuna said softly, feeling the memory of the dream well up inside of her.

"So you're saying… it's an Fayth, in Spira?" Nooj looked over to Baralai, then to Yuna.

"That's impossible!" Dona cut in. "All the Fayth disappeared with Sin!"

Baralai shook his head slowly. "Not all."

"Not all?" Issaru exclaimed, staring at him in utter shock. "What do you mean, not all? All the Fayth were connected together, they were Sent together!"

"What's going on, Baralai?" Nooj frowned, sitting down in his chair and looking over to the man.

"I'm not entirely sure." He sighed, shaking his head. "It may be… well, there were records, in Bevelle, of all the Fayth who became Aeons to serve the fight of Sin. A few records are… well… when things went wrong."

"With the ritual…" Yuna heard herself say, looking to the floor. The road to becoming a Fayth was no easy task. The person who wished to become one went through great tests of the mind, and finally, through the ritual that would bind them into the stone and into a Fayth.

There was however, many ways the ritual could go horribly wrong, and the person would die, or be trapped in stone, a useless Fayth, trapped but unable to become an Aeon.

"But all of those were accounted for, right? All of the Fayth died shortly after things went wrong. There's no way any could have survived." Nooj said quietly, still frowning.

"It's the only possible explanation." Baralai sighed. "Fayth have power over fiends, to a degree. If somehow, somewhere in Spira, a Fayth were trapped, it would have by now sensed that Sin is gone. That means, no more summoners. That means… no possible discovery, and no summoners. To be free, it has to be sent."

"She's gone mad." Everyone looked to Yuna.

"What do you mean?" Gippal asked.

"The Fayth. She's trapped somewhere, and she's gone mad because she wasn't able to leave with the others. She wants someone to help her… She wants…" Yuna sighed, and closed her eyes. "She wants to be sent, despite all the insanity. But in her struggle to reach someone, she's disturbing the Fiends."

There was a pause, then Baralai nodded. "That might be it."

"I know it is." Yuna opened her eyes again. "I heard her."

Another pause. Baralai looked from Nooj, to Gippal. "We have to find out where she is then, before she gets worse and disrupts the Farplane."

"What harm could she do?" Tromell asked, hesitantly from the Comm sphere. As the only entrance to the Farplane was in Guadosalam, Yuna understood why he would be so concerned.

"First, she could reach the pyreflies. Her screaming would drive them slowly mad, and they'd turn into fiends inside the Farplane. That'd make them more powerful then usual. Then they'd rip their way out, and back into this world. And then…" Baralai looked to the floor. "She'd reach the other Fayth. As Sir Auron said to Yuna… When she reaches the Fayth, we'll really be in trouble."

"Explain." Dona snapped, crossing her arms. "This should be perfectly clear. Stop trailing off your sentences and make it clear."

Baralai frowned, but spoke again. "It means, that if the Fayth are too, driven insane, they'll revert back to Aeons, and… Force their way back into Spira, like they were doing when Vegnagun corrupted them. They'll try to reach the Fayth, but they'll be driven insane first. Then they'll start attacking anyone and everything, trying to stop the screaming in their minds. Just like what happened to the fiends. It may even happen to you, Yuna, if it becomes any stronger."

A long silence hung in the air. Yuna knew the power of the Aeons. If the power was unguided, if it was unleashed on Spira, the destruction would be worse then even Sin. They'd become their own small versions of Sin. It was bad enough the fiends were already more powerful then ever and crazed. With the Aeons adding to their force, Spira wouldn't stand a chance. And if she went mad…

She swallowed quickly, and refused to think about it. 

"We have to find her." Yuna stood up, looking to Baralai. "How?"

"We'll start by checking the records in Bevelle. Somewhere it has to say what happened to her, and where she is." He paused, then swallowed. "However…"

_'Oh no…'_ Yuna sighed.

"There is one small problem."

_'There's always a problem.'_

"What is it?" She asked, aloud.

"Trema took all the sphere records down with him into the darkness of Bevelle's underground. If the record is on one of those spheres…" Baralai's voice trailed off and he looked irritated.

"They could have been destroyed." Nooj completed, with a groan. "This is wonderful."

"We'll go look, anyway." Yuna said firmly, ignoring the fear and hopelessness inside of her. "We have to find it."

The others nodded slowly in agreement. "When will you go to Bevelle?" Baralai asked, as Yuna slowly turned away from them to look out the window of the room. Beyond she could see the Blitzball dome, and if she listened hard enough she could even hear all the cheering. Inside she felt an almost overpowering urge to just simply leave and go over to watch. But she couldn't. She had her duties. She had to help Spira, and it seemed she was the only one who could do so.

_'Again.'_

"Lady Yuna?" Baralai asked, sounding apologetic as he could tell she was caught up in thoughts.

"We'll go to Bevelle tomorrow." Forcing herself to smile, she turned around to face the three men, and the Comm spheres.

_'Remember to smile.'_ She thought to herself, struggling to maintain it.

"The Gullwings will take care of everything."

Nooj smiled a little, and Gippal laughed. "We keep having to depend on you, Yuna. I hope you're not going to do this for the rest of your life." The Al Bhed laughed, shaking his head. She smiled a little in earnest.

"I was ready to just enjoy some peace and quiet."

"Well, things will only get worse if this isn't solved quickly." Nooj sighed, sitting back down. "This whole mess with fiends has the people scared. Some of the Youth League are pointing figures at the New Yevonites, saying they unleashed the fiends. The New Yevonites say the same things about the Youth League. Gippal's been managing to keep his people calm, but if this continues, it's not going to stay peaceful for very long."

"So everything we worked for, is going to be ruined?" Yuna sighed, feeling quite unhappy again.

"Unless we solve this quickly. Your peace efforts did a great deal, but the threat of these fiends overpowers it. They still believe in you though, Yuna. When they hear you're going to look into this problem, they'll probably start to calm down a little." Baralai cut in before Nooj could speak, smiling a little at Yuna. "Seems you're the official 'Morale Raiser' of Spira these days."

_'Why does it have to be me?' _She thought silently, still forcing herself to smile.

"Yeah." She said simply, at a lack of anything else to add to it.

"Ronso Youths begin to believe the Guado unleash the fiends, like Guado did before the defeat of Sin." Kimarhi spoke suddenly, directing Yuna's attention away from the three faction leaders.

"Do they want to go to war, Kimarhi?" She asked, feeling her heart sink.

"Ronso listen to Elder, but they are unhappy." He shook his head slowly, and she could see for the first time that he looked rather tired. She couldn't let him down. She couldn't let any of them down.

"Don't worry, Kimahri. We'll fix it as soon as we can."

Kimahri seemed to smile, just a little, then nodded. "Ronso protect Highlands and Gagazat from fiends. Yuna not worry about us."

"Thanks, Kimarhi." She bowed a little, feeling the support from him already. He went silent, and Yuna turned around to Nooj once more.

"So we'll go to Bevelle. Is that all we can do?" Feeling rather helpless, she looked to Baralai and to Gippal.

"For the moment. The Al Bhed will protect as many villages as they can, while the Youth League will try to hunt down the fiends before they reach the area. The New Yevonites spreading their forces between Bevelle and Luca. Things should be alright, for the moment. The fiends are tough, but we can handle them." Nooj spoke softly, a manner of ever calm on his face.

"All you need to worry about, is finding out what and where this… Fayth, is." Baralai smiled, as if to be reassuring. Yuna didn't feel very reassured, but convinced herself it would be okay. Somehow.

"Well, that's not to hard then." She grinned, her cheeks hurting from having to force it.

"We hope so." Nooj sighed, closing his eyes. "But the Bevelle underground is still dangerous. Be careful down there."

"We will." Yuna nodded again, trying to look confident. In truth, one trip down into the depths of Bevelle had been enough. She'd promised herself she'd never go down there again unless she really had to.

_'Looks like I really have to.'_

"Well, I guess that's about all we can do for now." Gippal sighed, launching himself off the chair and pacing the room. "Guess we better go watch the last half of the Blitzball game, maybe, encourage the morale." He grinned at Yuna, stretching his arms out.

"Sounds good." She smiled, this time without having to force herself to. 

~~~~~~~~~~

(A/N: Yay! Blitzball! Um… I'm not a sports person so this part will probably be short and lacking in minor details about gameplay, as I never really COULD get the hang of that darn game. All the player names are the ones I got from those listed in the FFX-2 Offical strategy Guide. Also. Talking underwater, yes I know. But I have no idea how those people hold their breath so darn long, managing to swim around underwater, shot balls around, cast spells, and such, without having so much as go up to the surface for a breath of air. So um… let's just say… you'll skip that fine detail?)

~~~~~~~~~~

_'I missed this. They've really improved.'_ Tidus thought with a grin, as he shot through the water, preparing to catch a throw from Letty. The sun shone down into the water, making everything quite bright and beautifully clear. Always in Zanarkand, they had played at night and the arena had always been lit by lights. The natural lighting of the sun was a refreshing change. It felt more like home.

Catching the ball with ease, Tidus quickly surveyed his position. Close enough to make a goal. Grinning, he swam forward a few meters, then stopped and readied to make a shot. Out of the side of his eye he could see Rikku and Brother fast approaching, working as a perfect team. It seemed to be the only time they worked together and didn't squabble.

Grinning, Tidus ignored them and quickly prepared himself for the shot, calming his mind and focusing on the ball. Making the shot as smoothly as ever, he watched with a satisfied grin as it swept past Shinra and the familiar sound of the goal was heard.

_'Second day back, and I'm already playing Blitzball.'_ He thought as he turned to face a scowling Rikku and Brother. Smirking at them, he swam towards the middle of the arena, as the goalie fetched the ball and readied to set it up again.

"Ready to quit yet?" Rikku shouted over to him, when they were all in position.

"You wish!" He yelled back with a grin, as the timer rang out and the game resumed. 

This time, Paine managed to grab the ball. Surveying the area, she quickly prepared to make her shot. Tidus blinked in surprise. He'd never seen anyone try to do something like that. Usually it was impossible to make such a shot. Wakka stood in the way of her shot, but Paine didn't seem to care.

The ball was hit with such a force Tidus felt his ears ring. The ball struck Wakka square on the shoulder and kept on going. All eyes were on the ball as it shot through the water towards Keepa who looked only mildly terrified. He reached to block the shot, but failed within only a few hands of it.

Staring at Paine in shock, he heard Rikku begin to giggle and point fingers at the Aurochs. 

"Hah!" She shouted, and Paine showed the start of a slight grin. Tidus smirked back, as he went back into place. So she was strong, but she wasn't that fast. He wouldn't let her get away with that move again. Signaling to Wakka, the two exchanged a small nod, then watched as the ball shot down from the top of the arena.

Wakka grabbed the ball before anyone else could, and started swimming as hard and fast as he could towards the Gullwing's goal net. Tidus followed closely behind, while the other Aurochs attempted to fend off the Gullwings. Wakka readied to make his shot, and as Calli, Cid, and Barkeep started to swarm over to him, he suddenly turned and threw the ball to Tidus.

Catching it smoothly, Tidus turned quickly and shot the ball before anyone had a chance to react. The ball soared past Shinra's head and Rikku started yelling something in Al Bhed. Grinning, he waved his hand at her, which only seemed to make her more furious.

The next ball was not as easy for either teams. Struggling against each other, every attempt at a goal was foiled by the other team. They were running low on time, until the second round started, and the Gullwings were in the lead by one point.

_'We have to get it to a tie before the second round starts, otherwise we might lose.'_ Tidus thought as he watched the ball move around the arena. Shinra was a pretty good goalie, considering his size. They'd been lucky a few times, but the kid seemed to be trying harder now that he knew how good they really were.

_'Come on Letty, get that ball over here…'_ Tidus thought impatiently, as he swam around the center of the arena in preparation for a shot that couldn't possibly miss. The Auroch however, was being pursued by Brother and Buddy, and it seemed clear that they weren't going to let him pass it to anyone, let alone Tidus.

_'Come on…'_ Tidus muttered to himself, watching with increasing worry as Buddy and Brother circled in on Letty. Letty seemed to panic, and looked around for someone to pass too. Tidus waved his arm in the air, but Letty didn't seem to see him. Instead he looked over to Vilucha, who was a lot closer, but also a lot further away from the goal.

Before Buddy could grab the ball, Letty spun around and threw the ball with all his might towards Vilucha, who happened to be looking the other way to Rikku who was swimming nearby. Rikku seemed to noticed the pass coming, and was getting ready to steal away the ball before Vilucha could react.

The ball hit the woman square on the back of the head, and she went completely limp.

_'Not good.'_ Tidus groaned, as the goalie's call echoed through the arena and the game came to a shuddering halt._'Not good at all.'_

Vilucha was removed from the game by the goalie and the medics, but it was clear she wasn't coming back any time soon. Sighing, Tidus looked around the team. The game would continue for the last few moments of the half, but Tidus knew that they'd barely be able to hold the Gullwings off, let alone score any goals, with a missing player.

~~~~~~~

  
Rikku was smirking as she sat down on the bench, her hair dripping water all over the locker room as she regarded Wakka and Tidus with a leer.

"Hah! I told you, you guys would lose." She grinned, wringing her hair dry as she stretched out her toes. 

"The game isn't over yet!" Tidus snapped, then turned back to Wakka and the others.

"Who's our replacement?" Tidus asked, not bothering to even try to dry himself off. He knew the routine. The half period break was never very long, and there really was no point of trying to dry off when you'd just be going back into the water. He found the water somewhat refreshing besides, a nice diversion from the current events.

"We… don't have one." Wakka sighed, and Tidus's eyes widened.

"What?" He asked, unable to say anything else. Behind him Rikku peered over to them, and grinned.

_'How can they not have a replacement? Every team has a replacement. I thought Yuna said these guys were getting better…'_ Tidus groaned inwardly, but kept his mouth shut as he heard Rikku giggle behind them.

"Going to have to forfeit, huh?" She called, but Tidus pointedly ignored her.

"We don't have one, ya?" Wakka scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Belcem agreed to help us this year, ya? But then the fiends showed up, and he had to go help fight with the Youth League. When you joined we had just enough for the team, and we were hoping we'd get lucky, ya…?" His voice trailed off and he gave a loud sigh.

"We can still play, ya? We just have to do it right." He nodded to the Aurochs gathered around him, and they seemed to brighten a little.

"Yeah! That's right, Wakka." Tidus encouraged, though his hopes of winning really weren't very high. They needed all the encouragement they could get. 

"But Paine…" Botta suddenly mumbled, staring down at the floor. "She's muderin' us, ya?"

Tidus paused, and looked over to where Rikku was hovering around Paine, chattering endlessly. Paine looked disinterested, and focused on a point on the wall.

"She's not so tough." Tidus grinned, standing up. "We just have to make sure she stays away from the ball."  
"Easier said then done, ya?" Letty muttered, holding his head in his hands.

"Hey! We've beaten worse odds then this, ya? Their team is just a bunch of kids, ya!" Wakka nearly shouted, standing up and waving his arms. The apparent depression in his team seemed to disturb him.

Tidus winced as Rikku's voice pierced the air.

"Who are you calling kids?!" She shouted, glaring fiercely at Wakka. Behind her Calli and Brother also glared, though Calli seemed to just be joining in for the fun of it.

"Ya, but…" Keepa started, but his voice trailed off with a sigh.

"Hey! Stop that!" Tidus called, directing the their attention back to him. "What's our goal?"

There was a pause, then they broke out in grins and shouted with him. "Victory!"

Somewhere across the room, Rikku groaned.

"Alright people, game's starting again in five minutes. Start heading out." The goalie suddenly announced, sticking his head into the locker room. Wakka nodded absently, but the goalie didn't leave.

"Something else?" Tidus asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah… you guys needed a replacement, right?" 

Wakka looked up, and frowned. "Ya… but we're not taking any free agents, ya? We don't want any mixing up of our team."

The goalie grinned a bit, then coughed. "Well, it's not really like that." A voice called from somewhere behind him, and he turned his head. "Alright, time to get moving. Your replacement will be out in a few minutes."

"Replacement?" Tidus wondered aloud, as they walked back towards the arena.

"It better not be one of those snarky Goers playing a joke, ya?" Letty mumbled as they walked, staring at the floor. "What with the way that guy was grinning."

"In any case, whoever it is, we're going to tell them to leave, ya?" Wakka sighed, looking around to his team. "We don't wanna mix up our family, ya?" He added with a bit of a grin, then entered the arena.

As they all gathered into the center, Tidus found himself looking around. No one besides the Aurochs, the Gullwings, and the goalie could be seen on the field.

The goalie nodded to them as they approached, and looked up the clock. Still a two minutes before the game started. He swam off out of bounds and settled down to watch the teams below him.

Tidus sighed and stretched, ignoring Rikku's obvious mockery from across the arena.

"Must have been a joke, ya?" Botta sighed miserably, leaning over in his place.

"Hey!" Rikku suddenly shouted, pointing to the side of the sphere. "Yunie! I knew it! You did come!" 

"Yuna?" Wakka and Tidus said at the same time, watching in disbelief as Yuna swam out to the center of the sphere.

"Ha! Who are you replacing, Yunie? How about we kick out Barke-" Rikku started, but Yuna smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry Rikku, I'm not going on the Gullwing's team."

There was a long pause, as Rikku stared at Yuna in horror.

"You don't mean… But Yunie! You're a Gullwing!"

"They really needed a replacement, and… it is Besaid's team…" Yuna smiled, even more sheepishly, as Rikku stared at her in shock.

"You're… leaving us?" She wailed.

"No no, I'm just playing one game!" Yuna sighed, and Buddy laughed.

"Traitor!" He shouted, though with his usual good natured tone.

Rikku just continued to stare at her cousin in horror. Yuna seemed somewhat uncomfortable, but she was still smiling. Tidus could see it was one of the rare smiles. A real one.

"So… mind if I join you guys?" Yuna asked quietly, turning around to face Wakka.

Wakka grinned and quickly nodded. "Sure Yuna! All the help we can get is great, ya! And you're family, besides." Grinning, he helped her over to where Vilucha's spot and then quickly went back to his own. Turning slightly Tidus looked over to her, and he saw her grin a little as she caught his glance. Grinning back, he gave her a thumbs up as the ball began to fall to the center of the arena.

~~~~~~~

_'Wow. She's not half bad.'_ Tidus grinned to himself, as Yuna attempted a shot. Shinra only just managed to deflect it, and she was already moving towards the ball, Wakka keeping Brother and Rikku out of her way. 

Treading water, Tidus watched the ongoing event as he waited for his chance at a shot. With Yuna on their team, they'd managed to get to a tie against the Gullwings. Now it was the final few minutes of the round, and the game could fall any way. The Gullwings were fighting harder, but the Aurochs seemed to be even more motivated with Yuna on their side.

But then, she'd always been a big part of their life. She'd grown up encouraging the games, always there watching and cheering. Or so he'd heard from Wakka, two long years ago. Now that she was High Summoner, she seemed to be even more important to them. They were proud, and they didn't want to let her down.

Grinning, Tidus swam to the center of the arena, watching the ball as it bounced between players in a never ending struggle. He'd always found the hectic action of Blitzball almost calming in a way. It filled him with energy, but it made him think clearer. He'd wondered at first that having Yuna play would somehow distract him, but if anything he felt even more at ease.

He really was home. He was back in Luca, playing Blitzball. And there was Yuna. Playing on the same team, smiling broader then he'd ever seen her. She didn't have to go fight Sin, she didn't have to go marry some crazy Maester to bring peace to Spira. All the weight that he'd seen in her eyes had gone. Even the new events with the fiends didn't seem to be swaying her happiness.

As Tidus thought about it, he realized that he liked her even more then the old Yuna. She was so much happier. Free. Laughing. Smiling. Joking. Things she'd never been able to do before, things he'd always wanted to see her do.

_'But even so, she's still Yuna.'_ He thought with a smile, as she passed the ball over to Wakka and shot a grin in Tidus's direction.

He grinned back and waved a little, as she swam after Wakka who was being closely pursued by Calli and Cid.

'_I love you.'_ He thought quietly, as he watched her go. He'd never leave her again. He'd promised her back then, when they'd been in Macalania, after their escape from Bevelle, that he'd stay with her always. Somehow, he'd been given the opportunity to keep that promise.

Any more thought on the matter was interrupted as the action began to pick up again. There seemed to be no more chasing of the ball as the time ticked down, now the teams were striving to make the final shot.

Rikku managed to snag the ball from Wakka, and swam like mad towards the other side of the arena. Just as Tidus started after her, he saw Letty steal the ball away and pass it over to Wakka. Wakka missed it by mere inches, and it was instead grabbed by Brother.

_'Oh no you don't.'_ Tidus thought with a grin, as he pushed himself over, swimming through the water with strong kicks. As Brother turned around to swim towards Keepa, Tidus grabbed the ball from his hands and started towards the Gullwing's goal net. He could hear Brother screech behind him, but he ignored it and swam faster.

Too late, he saw Calli sneak up. Somehow the girl managed to snatch the ball out of his hands, and was already swimming away as he realized it was gone.

_'She's not as bad as Paine thought.'_ He thought with a groan, as Calli threw the ball with all her might towards Rikku.

This time however, Yuna was the one to catch the ball. She looked over to Tidus for a half a second, and he knew what she was planning. Swimming quickly over to the Gullwing's net as close as he dared, he turned to see where Yuna was. She was close, but not close enough to make a shot. Grinning at him, she threw the ball with all her might towards him.

For a few long seconds, it seemed like Cid was going to try and catch it in mid shot, but he over stretched and couldn't even touch it.

Catching the ball with ease, Tidus turned to Shinra. The boy was spread out as far as possible, his head fixed on the ball.

_'Just try it, kid.'_ Tidus grinned, as he closed his eyes and concentrated.

This time, he'd do it.

Knowing there were only a few seconds left until the game ended, Tidus wasted no time in starting the shot. Throwing the ball up as high as he could, he somersaulted and watched it come towards him.

_'This one's for you, dad.'_

The impact of his foot on the ball echoed through the water with a satisfying slap, as the ball shot towards Shinra like a bullet.

Shinra attempted to block it to the best of his ability, but he wasn't fast enough. The buzzer went off with a shrill cry. A few fast seconds later the time ran out, and the game ended. 

As Tidus turned to face the Aurochs, he saw Yuna grinning and clapping. Outside of the dome he could hear the people cheering, but it seemed further away then he could even imagine. He smiled back at her, and it seemed to make the victory even greater.


	9. Chapter 8 Calm Before the Storm

*chews on a spoon and looks quite sheepish* Um… LOOK! I updated finally! … Um… Alright… Life happened, see? I didn't mean this to be so late. I'm really sorry… I get FFX-2 back this week though, finally, so I should be more inspired for the next chapters. I'm really sorry for not getting this up sooner… 

As usual, *sigh*, I don't own FFX-2 or FFX. It belongs to Square Enix, whom has no point in suing me, because I seem to give them all my money anyway. *eyes the new FF7AC trailer and begins to cry again*

And here we have yet another episode of addressing the commenters… Whee! No seriously, I love doing this. You people are what make me continue this fic. Thank you thank you and thank you AGAIN for all your reviews.

In answer to Dark Lady of Slytherin's comments…

Hope I didn't mind those eight reviews? Yeee! I was completely blown away. *smiles* You're the first one to write a comment for every chapter… and good comments at that… thank you very much. No, I don't have a beta… not yet, anyway. I try hard to get all the mistakes in the writing by myself…

About the fiend attack, yes, I know it's been done a lot… I probably should have tried something more original, but the idea seemed to stick. And it's a bit too late for me to change it now without people noticing, heh… heh… eee… But yes, thank you very much for all the comments, I didn't mind them one bit. I'm trying hard to improve my writing, and all the input I can get helps incredibly Thanks again. 

Another note, yes, I know, that was dumb of me to put a A/N right in the middle… I wasn't' thinking at the time, probably due to the fact it was 4 in the morning… so I apologize about that… When I eventually finish and go through for any errors, I'll cut that out and move it so it's better… 

One last note, yes, I know that Yuna was supposed to know about Brother's love for her… but, well, I half figured that with all the fuss going on, she'd have forgotten by accident, and secondly, forgot to add that. So… I'm hoping it's not too big a problem. I might go back and edit it later if it's that bothersome… I was just so busy and my mind was on so many other things I forgot that tiny bit. *hits self in head with the ever handy frying pan* Forgive me… I can barely remember my own name lately.

Thank you again to all of ye lovely people who took the time to comment/review… Please don't stop, the fic isn't done yet.

Enough of my nonsense, you're here to read the fic, not my babble! On with the story! This chapter may seem a bit short and pointless to the plot, but… it… has… a purpose, to a degree. I hope it's not too terrible. Took forever to write. But I am SURE you knew that already. *zips her mouth shut*

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Chapter 8 

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"I… I can't believe we lost." Rikku wailed unhappily, her shoulders slumping down as they all walked out of the girl's locker rooms. "We were so close…"

"I'm sorry, Rikku." Yuna said quietly, but she didn't feel very sorry at all. Her cousin seemed to spot the grin on her features and scowled, throwing her hands into the air.

"You traitor!" Rikku wailed loudly, and frowned harder. "If you hadn't done that, we'd have won! How could you, Yunie? You're supposed to be a Gullwing!"

"It's just a game, Rikku." Paine sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Just a game! But…" Rikku's voice trailed off, as Yuna turned away, feeling just a little guilty, but smiling in spite of it. She couldn't help it. It'd been so much fun. Being able to play with the Aurochs, and with him, against the others. She'd never imagined of being able to do such a thing. And yet, it had happened.

"Well, somebody had to help the Aurochs." Yuna looked down to the floor below her feet. It wasn't a very good excuse. She'd told Nooj and Baralai what she was going to do, and they hadn't been pleased. But when she'd added the fact it would probably make everyone quite happy to see the High Summoner playing Blitzball, they lost the argument. But that wasn't a very good excuse too.

As happy as the event had made her, she couldn't help but feel just a little selfish. She had abandoned Rikku and the others, but… she was doing what she wanted.

"I still say you should have helped us instead." Rikku sniffed, crossing her arms. "Brother's going to be so mad when he comes out of-"

As if by the very mention of his name, Brother stormed out of the men's locker room.

"YUNA!" He shouted, pointing at her.

"See what you've done?" Rikku sighed, slumping her shoulders down even lower.

"You were… magnificent!" He cried, falling to his knees in front of her. Rikku stared at him wordlessly as Yuna felt her face go red.

"Thank you, Brother." She managed through a smile, as the rest of the guys started to file out of the doorway.

"Magnificent?!" Rikku sputtered, kicking her brother in the shin. "Yuna turns traitor and you all you have to say is… magnificent?!"

Brother shot her a glare, then resumed looking at Yuna adoringly, though somewhat less enthusiastic then he normally was. Perhaps she'd finally gotten through to him. 

"I'd have to agree." Tidus grinned, coming up beside Brother with a smirk quite evident in his eyes. Brother snorted something and got up, moving away from Yuna as if by some unseen command. He didn't look happy, but he didn't look as sad as he had been earlier.

_'With all that fuss, I forgot about Brother's feelings… I have to be more careful.'_ She thought as he walked over to Cid, and began boasting about how great his Gullwings were.

"If they're so great, how come they go dashin' to other teams!" Cid roared, and Brother cringed. "Yuna!" Cid shouted, walking over before Yuna could even open her mouth to say something to Tidus. "Well how about that! Go off leavin' your own blood family to frolic with these country bumpkins!"

Yuna smiled shyly and looked to the ground. "Heey, who you calling bumpkins? We just won, ya!" Wakka crossed his arms, a huge grin on his cheerful face.

"Well you wouldn't have if it hadn't been for my niece!" Cid snapped, crossing his arms and looking quite cross.

"I didn't do much." Yuna said quietly, but nobody seemed to hear her, or perhaps, they didn't agree.

"Yes you did!" Rikku cried, jumping up and down. "You just had to pass the ball to your blitzer-boyfriend!" As the words left her mouth, Rikku suddenly stopped. Cid's eyes snapped over to Yuna, then to Tidus, and seemed to be doing math in his head. Wakka did nearly the same thing, though he looked more confused then anything. Brother seemed to struggle against something for a moment, then began to mutter in Al Bhed to no one in particular.

"Uh…" Rikku swallowed, looking over to Cid and Wakka.

"Yuna! Why in tarnation didn't you say something?" Cid finally managed, looking over to Yuna with a cross between a grin and a frown on his face.

"Say…?" Yuna blinked, wondering what to expect from her Uncle, and more importantly, Wakka, who still looked confused.

"Our Yuna!" Cid sniffed, looking suddenly quite teary eyed. "Engaged!"

A long silence hung in the air, as Wakka stared at Yuna and Tidus blankly, while Cid grinned and looked somewhat teary eyed. Everyone else stopped to look at Yuna, all except Paine who was muttering something to herself.

"Engaged?" Wakka said finally, staring at Yuna blankly.

"We're-" She started, when Lulu appeared beside her.

"Wakka, Cid, please don't jump to conclusions. If Yuna was going to do something like that, she'd tell all of you." She spoke softly, though with a command in her voice. She seemed tired of the nonsense.

This appeared to shake Wakka out of his trance. "You're… not engaged, Yuna?" He managed, blinking as if the whole concept was a little too confusing for him to fully understand. "But Rikku…"

"Uhh… I just said he was her boyfriend." Rikku smiled innocently, though not very convincingly.

"But-" Yuna attempted, only to be cut off by Cid.

"Not engaged! Running around unmarried! With a man no less!" Suddenly he paused, then looked over to Tidus who seemed to be taking the whole matter quite calmly. Yuna wondered why for a moment, but didn't get a chance to dwell on it before Cid was speaking again.

"But… I always did like you, yes sir. Fine boy." He grinned, slapping Tidus on the back. "You proved you're not one of those usual idiots. You take care of Yuna, you hear? Or I'm going to make you regret it." Though he was still smiling, the edge in his voice was unavoidable.

"Yes sir." Tidus managed, still recovering from the Al Bhed's back slap.

"Well I-" Yuna tried again, but this time it was Wakka who interjected.

"Yuna! You can't go around with guys when if you're not engaged, ya?" He said, looking somewhat worried, but torn between ideals.

Beside Yuna, Lulu sighed again. "Wakka, please, don't go into this. Yuna's old enough to take care of herself, and what she does with her life is not our business."

"Not our business! We're like family, ya?" Wakka cried, turning to Lulu.

"You didn't object to this two years ago."

"Ya, but…" Wakka looked to the ground, then up again. "But that was different, ya! That was two whole years ago, and it was the pilgrimage… He was a guardian, ya?"

"Isn't he still?" Paine sighed, looking quite irritated that they'd stopped in the middle of the hall and didn't show any signs of moving.

"Well, uh… I suppose so, ya?" Wakka blinked, the thought seeming to derail his argument. "But that still doesn't mean-"

"Enough!" Lulu sighed, though her tone was louder and firmer then before. "Let Yuna decide for herself. No more about this, Wakka."

Wakka looked as if he wanted to argue, but instead just scratched the back of his neck with a sigh. "Alright, Lu. Eh…" He turned to Tidus, somewhat sheepishly. "Ah, sorry about that, ya? Didn't mean to get all uppity, ya?"

Tidus grinned. "No prob, Wakka. You're worried about Yuna, I understand."

"Can we have this conversation somewhere else?" Paine growled, as people from the other teams began to gather and watch the spectacle.

"Oh, ya! I guess we better be getting to the party, ya? Don't wanna miss it!" Wakka grinned, seeming to have put the whole matter behind him.

Yuna wondered if that'd be the end of it, but doubted it. Somehow she didn't think any of them would be happy until she got married and settled down. Then maybe they'd stop worrying. Or maybe they'd just worry more.

_'Married…'_ She thought with a long pause, looking to the ground. She hadn't even thought about that. She'd always had dreams of what might happy if Tidus had ever come back, but when it'd actually come true, she'd forgotten everything. It was more important that he was here. She didn't want to look into the future, not yet. She just wanted to be happy with the present. _'Why does everyone have to be in a rush?'_

Besides, her last wedding hadn't exactly gone well. She wasn't entirely sure she wanted to repeat the process. Though granted, it'd be quite different then last time. For one thing she wouldn't be marrying Seymour… She involuntarily shuddered at the mere memory of it. Even after two years, the whole thing still disgusted her.

"Yunie!" Rikku shouted, waving her hands in front of Yuna's face. "YUNIE!"

"What?" Yuna blinked, startled and drawn out of her thoughts.

"Sheesh! You zoned out on us! Come on, we're going to miss the party!" Rikku scolded, then skipped off after the others who she noticed had already begun to leave. Only Tidus still stood nearby, his eyes always seeming to be focused on her.

"You okay?" He asked with a questioning look, as he walked beside her behind the others.

"I was just thinking…" She said quietly, and looked up to the ceiling of the hallway.

"About?" He asked, a slight grin on his face as they began up the stairs.

_'Do I really want to say it?'_ She thought hesitantly, coming to a stop as they entered the large entrance area of Luca's sphere dome. The place was crowded with people, all of which were surrounding the Aurochs and Gullwings as fast as they came down the stairs. Some had already spotted Yuna, and were waving and cheering. She smiled at them and gave a little wave, though it was more of a conditioned response then anything else.

_'Do I want to spoil the moment with the future?'_ As she watched she could see a very excited Shelinda heading her way, a microphone held tightly in her hands. No doubt there would be a demand for interviews. Not something Yuna wanted to deal with at the present moment.

Yuna sighed aloud, and Tidus raised an eyebrow in response. 

"Yuna?"

_'Not yet.'_ She didn't want to spoil it. Yuna turned away from the crowd and faced him, ignoring Shelinda who was already making her way up the stairs and clearing her throat to speak.

Grabbing Tidus's hand, she ran down the stairs after the others who were slowly leaving the entrance. Going straight past Shelinda, Yuna felt guilty for a moment until she made herself push it away. She'd do it later. She was far too happy now, she didn't want to be the High Summoner. She didn't want to be fawned over and awed at. She just wanted to be plain old Yuna.

"Yunie! Come on!" Rikku shouted, waving her arms around as if to make herself more easy to spot. Her cousin then turned and began to jog out towards the middle of Luca, no doubt to the house that Lulu had rented for all of them for the night.

As they finally waded out of the crowds, Yuna stopped running. Grinning she looked up to the sky to take in a deep breath of the warm air. The sky was slowly turning orange, indicating that night would soon be upon them. Had the day really gone so fast?

"Ohh come on! Move faster!" Rikku cried, turning around to face Wakka and the Aurochs who had stopped. They were giving autographs out to the fans that had run after them, and seemed to be quite enjoying themselves. "We gotta go party!"

"Aren't you tired of partying yet?" Paine sighed, but she was completely ignored by the Al Bhed.

"Come on Wakka!" Rikku flailed her arms about her, scowling as Wakka kneeled to hand a ball back to a young boy.

"Hey, our fans our important, ya! You guys go on ahead if you want, we're going to stay here for a while. Gotta show em that the Aurochs are back for business!" He grinned, carefully signing a Blitzball a girl had held up to him.

"Don't be too long." Lulu sighed, shaking her head but smiling in spite of it.

"Lady Yuna!" Puffed Shelinda suddenly, who appeared beside Yuna as if out of thin air. "May I ask you a few questions about your appearance at the Blitzball tournament today?" She asked enthusiastically, her companions coming up behind her with sphere-recorders.

"Um…" Yuna blinked, surprised they'd actually caught up. Somewhere behind her she could hear Rikku give a loud sigh and begin to kick the ground in impatience.

"Yuna's busy right now. She'll talk to you tomorrow!" Tidus suddenly interrupted, and Shelinda stared at him in shock.

"Busy?" She parroted, staring at him as if he'd sprung out of no where. "Hey, aren't you…" She paused, then blinked, looking at him closer. "Haven't I met you before?" She asked, tilting her head in curiosity.

"Look, we're all busy. We don't have time for this. Come back tomorrow." Paine snapped, looking just about as bored as Rikku. Though it was more likely that Paine was eager to get back so she could sleep, not so she could take part in any party Rikku might have planned.

"But…" Shelinda blinked, looking rather disappointed. Feeling quite guilty, Yuna opened her mouth to speak when Rikku grabbed her arm.

"Come on Yunie! Run!" Her cousin cried, dragging her along with her as she ran off. Tidus who'd still been holding onto her hand, followed closely behind, laughing at Rikku's antics. Paine snorted and walked behind them, along with Lulu and the Gullwings.

"But she just wanted to ask me a few questions!" Yuna protested, but her cousin wouldn't let go of her arm.

"Questions! Never mind them! Come on Yunie, you don't have time for that! They'll hound you all day if you give them an inch!"

"She's right, you know." Tidus added with a smirk. He probably knew all about that sort of thing. From what she'd heard, the Zanarkand Abes were quite popular. Much like the Aurochs in present Spira…

"Faster Yunie, faster! You're taking forever!" Rikku clutched her cousin's hand harder and increased her pace, nearly sending Yuna face first into the ground. Tidus managed to grab her other arm before she could, and helped her up as they ran.

_'What a day.'_ Yuna thought quietly, as she was dragged along by her near hysterically happy cousin. _'But I don't think I'd have it any other way.'_ She added to herself, as Tidus ran along beside her, and Rikku giggled to herself in front of them. 

Somewhere in the back of her mind, a faint scream echoed. She paused, trying to make the sound out, but it had gone. Rikku's chattered drowned it out, to the point where she wondered if she had even heard it at all. Maybe it had just been her mind playing tricks on her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~  


"This is so boring!" Rikku cried, stomping her foot to the floor with a look of irritation on her scowling face. "I thought this was going to be a fun party!" She added, shooting her scowl at Lulu who was calmly passing around plates of food to the few guests that were present.

Tidus yawned and leaned back in his chair. She did have a point. He'd been expecting something like the parties that rang off blitzball games in Zanarkand. But apparently, that wasn't the case in Luca. Or maybe it was the fact that Lulu didn't want anyone getting rowdy.

"It's always something with you, isn't it?" Paine sighed from across the room, sipping a small glass of what looked to be plain water. "First you want a party. Then you get a party. Now you want a busy party." She shook her head slowly and closed her eyes, as if tired about the whole thing.

"Oh come on!" Sighed Rikku, putting her hands on her hips. "Even you could agree Paine, this is one boring party!"

Lulu shot Rikku a look that seemed to be some degree of annoyance, but the black mage seemed to control herself and the look disappeared as quickly as it had come. "If you're not happy, Rikku, you can always leave." She added, her voice carrying a cold edge to it that Rikku knew all too well.

"You're as bad as Paine!" Rikku sighed, sitting down in a chair to watch the people mill around the room.

Tidus grinned but didn't say anything. He knew when to stay out of a conversation. He didn't want to get mixed up in a Rikku conflict with Lulu or Paine. Or both.

Looking over to the middle of the room, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. A real party would have been nice, he had to agree with Rikku. And Yuna would have probably enjoyed one too. Knowing her, the way she'd changed. More willing to have fun.

Fun seemed to be the last thing she was having at the moment.

Tidus sat up straighter, and sighed. Escaping the streets hadn't helped. People had still managed to spot Yuna and were hounding her for interviews or questions or just a chat. She stood in the middle of the room, the center of attention. She looked rather bored, though she was smiling.

_'I know that smile.'_ He thought grimly, crossing his arms. _'That's not a good smile.'_

She laughed, and though even though she probably didn't mean it, it still made him smile. Things really had changed.

"Oh, yes! I remember you, you're…" He could catch parts of the conversation filtering over from the general buzz. Yuna's voice cutting through the other voices with a soft edge but one that still seemed to demand attention. "It's so wonderful to see you! How are you?"

Tidus yawned. _'Well, this sucks.'_ He thought as he stretched and regarded the guests quietly. Brother and Buddy were sitting in another corner of the room, chattering on about the Blitzball game no doubt. Shinra was talking to Rin who seemed to be quite enjoying himself near the food platters. Cid was no where to be seen, though Tidus suspected he was just sulking somewhere on the airship, after Rikku had told him he couldn't go to a party because he was too old.

_'What a family.'_

Calli was over near Lulu, ogling over Vidina who was quietly sleeping in his crib, despite the noise that was coming from the room. Seemed like the kid was going to have the same calmness of his mother, even though he looked so much like his father. 

"So you're the one Yuna was looking for." A voice spoke from beside him, calm and collected yet holding an edge of curiosity.

"Who are you?" Tidus asked, blinking as he sat up again to face the man.

"I'm Nooj." The man sat down in a chair beside him, and leaned his cane on the side of the chair.

"Oh, right. Yuna told me about you. You're the leader of the Youth League."

"Yes, I am. And you are?" Nooj tilted his head, a curious look on his face.

"Tidus. I'm from… uh…" His voice trailed off. Should he even try to explain?

"I heard about it, but I didn't know you were the one." Nooj smiled a little, then looked out to the middle of the room where Yuna was speaking to people still.

"Ahh, you did?" Tidus blinked, frowning.

"Yuna explained it, briefly. There's plenty of rumors going around too." He added, with a smirk.

"Rumors? What rumors?" Tidus frowned more, scratching the back of his neck.

"Well, there were plenty going around two years ago, and in the time between then and now. But now that you've… come back, and were seen tonight, well… Shelinda does have quite the imagination."

"Oh." Tidus looked to the floor, then up to Yuna. He should have known that was going to happen. But then, what did it really matter? Let them spread rumors. "What's the problem?"

"Nothing, really. I was just saying." Nooj shrugged, sipping his drink. "Though it may give Yuna trouble."

So there was something that he thought was a problem. "What kind of trouble?"

Nooj laughed. "They might start asking her about you and her personal life. The people love Yuna. But they'd also love to know all about her. She's not used to this kind of thing. She might find it overwhelming."  
"So what am I supposed to do?" Tidus frowned again, crossing his arms.

Nooj shrugged again. "Make sure she doesn't get overwhelmed. There is a lot going on right now, for her. This new business with the Fayth… She has to be careful. It could do a lot of damage to her, if she isn't."

"Yuna's always careful." Tidus said quietly, though somehow he didn't believe that.

"Always?" Nooj laughed and shook his head. "Lately she's been quite reckless."

"Well, she's doing what she wants. You can't tell her not to." Tidus said somewhat defensively, looking to Nooj with a slight frown.

"Just help her stay out of trouble. Take care of her. She needs that, she doesn't look out for herself enough anymore."

Tidus slowly looked over to Yuna again. Maybe Nooj was right. But even so, what he was saying was hardly new. He'd intended to do that from the very first time he'd met Yuna. Take care of her. Protect her. Make sure she didn't get herself killed.

"Don't worry about it." He said quietly, still watching Yuna.

"I didn't think I'd have to." Nooj smiled again, and stood up.

_'Well, that was interesting.'_ Tidus thought to himself as Nooj slowly walked away, heading towards the tables that were set with various foods. There was something strange about the man, that he just couldn't figure out. Not evil, like Seymour had seemed to be, but… something just a bit different then other people of Spira. _'Strange.'_

"Well if it isn't Cid's girl!" A voice suddenly exclaimed cheerfully, and Rikku shrieked as a blonde man swept her hair over her eyes.

"HEY!" She cried, sitting up and spinning around to face the tall Al Bhed who had appeared. He seemed to hold himself with an air of importance, yet a reckless confidence. One of his eyes was covered with a black eye-patch, while the other glinted amusement.

"I have a name!" Rikku snapped, rearranging her hair with a look of great distaste aimed in his direction.

"Sure sure, Rikku." He grinned, and sat down where she'd been sitting.

"Hey! That's my chair! Gippal!" She cried, grabbing his arm and trying to drag him off of it. But he wouldn't be moved, and seemed greatly amused at her failing attempts. "Get off!" She cried louder, kicking him in the shin to no effect.

"So, you're Tidus huh?" Gippal said, looking over to Tidus and ignoring Rikku who was rattling off Al Bhed curses at him.

"Yeah." At a lack of anything else to say, Tidus watched the two Al Bhed curiously. He'd never seen the man before, or even heard his name mentioned outside of Yuna's story. Yet it seemed clear that Rikku knew him, and had known him for quite a while.

"That your boyfriend, Rikku?" He grinned, chancing a guess and suspecting that it was wrong just the same. Not that it mattered. It'd be fun to see how she'd react, maybe stir some life into the party.

Rikku made a high pitched shriek, but was cut off before she could say anything more by the sudden appearance of Cid.

"Gippal! Good to see you!" He grinned, slapping his hand on Gippal's shoulder. Gippal grimaced, but still appeared to be quite amused by Rikku's antics.

"Heyy, Cid! How've you been?" Gippal shook the older man's hand, much to the disgust of Rikku who muttered something quite foul sounding in Al Bhed.

"Rikku! Watch your mouth you lady!" Cid snapped, turning to Rikku who had her arms crossed and was looking smug. Gippal laughed, but Cid didn't seem as impressed. "Apologize, right now!"

Rikku shut her mouth, and shot poisoned glares at the three men who were now watching her intently to see her reaction. She looked quite angry, and Tidus doubted the chances of her apologizing to anyone, any time.

"Ah, don't worry about it." Gippal said finally, waving his hand at Rikku as if she wasn't there. "She's always like this, I'm used to it."

Cid glared back at Rikku, who was now pacing the floor with her eyes locked on Gippal. It seemed almost as if she were some sort of fiend waiting for her chance to strike. Tidus wasn't sure he wanted to be around when she finally did.

"I tried to raise her good! But look what happened." Cid sighed, crossing his arms and shaking his head.

"You didn't raise us at all!" Rikku hissed, practically foaming at the mouth as she glared daggers at him.

"You keep saying that! It's not true! I paid plenty of attention to you and your useless brother! You just wouldn't behave." He muttered something else in Al Bhed, which Tidus couldn't catch.

Rikku didn't say anything, and continued to glare at him. "Meanies." She finally sniffed, turning away and crossing her arms as if she were upset and hurt. 

"Aww, now look what you've done! You've gone and upset her." Gippal shook his head, chuckling away. "Poor Rikku. Don't worry, I still like you."

Rikku snorted, and didn't turn around.

Cid sighed, and shook his head. "Ah, forget it." Sitting down beside Gippal, he leaned back in the chair and regarded Rikku with a curious look. "You know, it's time you settled down, Rikku." She spun around and glared, but seemed to keep herself from snapping at him. She probably knew it was a futile effort, her father was just going to keep saying it no matter what she did.

"Look at Gippal here! You don't see him running around without any common sense." Cid continued, nodding to Gippal who just smiled at Rikku somewhat enthusiastically. Rikku sneered, and put her hands on her hips.

"He was just the same as me until he decided to get a big head and start giving orders to everyone!" She snapped, looking over to Gippal who shrugged.

"Hey, you could have done the same thing, if you'd learned how to get a little bit of control."

"Control?!" Rikku sputtered, throwing her hands up in the air. "I'm having fun! You two old grumps can sit around and pretend you're so important, but the Gullwings here are going to enjoy life! Right, Tidus?" 

Tidus grinned and nodded, and Gippal seemed amused by it. 

"She's dragged you into the Gullwings huh? Should have known that was going to happen. Rikku doesn't let anyone have a break until they do things her way."

Rikku stuck her tongue out at him, and turned away again. "You're just jealous of all the fun we're having." She muttered, and sat down a ways away from them.

"Phew." Cid sighed again, and closed his eyes. "I don't know where I went wrong with that girl."

"Ah, you didn't do anything wrong. She's just that way. It's what makes her Rikku." Gippal grinned, grabbing a drink from the table behind him. "It'd be wrong to see her any other way." He added, gulping down the drink.

"No kidding." Tidus grinned as well, standing up. He wouldn't lie to himself, he was getting bored with the whole thing. Yuna didn't seem to be finished yet, and nobody else seemed interesting enough to talk to. How dull. Maybe he'd just go out for some air…

"You throw a party, without inviting Leblanc?!" A woman's angry voice suddenly broke through the party, and everyone fell silent as they turned to the now open door. A blonde woman stood there, looking quite irritated, her eyes searching the room as she scowled. Two men appeared behind her, somewhat hesitantly peering around the room from over her shoulders.

"Oh great." Paine sighed, rolling her eyes. "Just what we needed."

"Hey, who invited her?" Rikku glared, her anger towards Gippal and Cid forgotten as she turned to Leblanc's direction.

"Nobody did. She invited herself." Paine snorted, gazing up at the ceiling as if it were the most remarkable feature in the entire room.

"I've never been so insulted!" Leblanc continued, sweeping into the room and looking about in distaste. "How… boring!" She cried, spinning around to face Yuna. "This is your idea of a party?"

Yuna's face went slightly red, but she managed to keep a smile on her face. "Well, it's not my party, actually-"

"Hah! That's the funniest thing I've heard all week! Isn't it boys?" Leblanc turned to look at the men behind her, and they quickly nodded.

"Oh yeah, boss! Real funny!" The shorter of the two nodded, not looking at all like he meant it.

"Indeed." The tall one said quietly, looking quite bored but eager to stay out of her range of temper.

"Hah!" Leblanc turned back to face Yuna, who was swallowing carefully. "Not you who threw the party! Well! You run around saving Spira, then go swimming about in some water pool, raise all of Luca into a fuss, and then you say you didn't throw the party? Stop trying to be funny! We all know you're trying to steal the spotlight from Leblanc!"

"That's not what I meant to do." Yuna continued to smile, though she looked as if she'd like to just disappear, or better yet, have Leblanc disappear.

"Yes it is!" Leblanc cried, and suddenly looked quite devastated. "You're trying to ruin my wedding plans!" With a dramatic sob, Leblanc turned and swept across the room, until she spotted someone who caught her eye. "Oh! Noojie-Woojie! This is where you've been hiding!"

"I had to come to pay my regards to Yuna, Leblanc." Nooj said quietly, standing up and looking as calm as ever.

"Oh, of course!" Leblanc smiled, looking somewhat distracted. It seemed she was more concerned with him then with what he was saying.

"Wedding plans?" Yuna echoed, blinking as she watched the woman swoon over Nooj.

"Oh! Haven't you heard?" Leblanc sniffed, spinning around to face her. "Noojie-Woojie and I are getting married!"

Yuna stared at her for a moment, then looked over to Nooj who nodded simply.

"So soon?" Yuna managed, looking somewhat shocked.

"Why wait? We've found true love!" Leblanc cooed, smiling dreamily at Nooj.

"But…" Yuna's voice trailed off as she slowly came out of the daze. "That's wonderful news! When?"

"Oh, we don't know yet. Around the end of the month, no doubt." Leblanc smiled silkily, as Logos and Ormi sighed behind her.

"You're all invited, of course." Nooj added, smiling a little in Yuna's direction.

"Thank you, we'll be sure to come." She smiled back, bowing her head a little as she spoke.

"Doesn't waste any time does she?" Paine snorted, as she sat up and began to walk towards the door that led to the sleeping rooms. "That's it, I've had it. I'm going to bed." She sighed, and paused to look over to Yuna. "Don't stay up to late. We have to leave early tomorrow. Remember we're here to figure out what's going on, not party." With that said, Paine didn't pay any more heed to anyone in the room, and left quietly. Rikku sniffed and rolled her eyes.

"No appreciation for fun."

Grinning in spite of himself, Tidus walked over to where Yuna stood. She was watching Leblanc wearily, as if she'd had quite enough of the loud woman.

"Having fun?" He asked, leaning closer to her as the party slowly began to drift away from Yuna and hover around Nooj and Leblanc, asking various questions and offering congratulations.

"Not really." Yuna said, smiling at a woman who passed by and greeted her.

"Wanna scream?" He grinned, and she looked up at him with a smirk.

"That'd be nice." She said, and laughed a little, looking suddenly happier.

He smiled back at her, and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the door. Nobody else seemed to notice, they were too busy with Leblanc and Nooj. Even Rikku was distracted.

Yuna frowned a little in curiosity, walking to keep up with him. "Where are we going?"

He didn't say anything, and led her out of the room. Heading towards the stairs and past all the rooms, he finally stopped in front of the door that opened out to the balcony. Opening the door, he was amazed by the sight. He'd never been there before, but somehow, he'd just known it was there. As Yuna walked up behind him, she gasped.

Luca was laid out beyond the view, the night filled with the twinkling lights of the city. By the look on her face, she'd never seen it before, though, neither had he. Walking over to the railing, he leaned over and looked around below them. The streets were filled with lights, but lacking the large crowds he was used to seeing. Seemed everyone was at home, enjoying quite time after all the excitement at the Blitzball game.

"It's beautiful." Yuna whispered, leaning beside him as she stared out at the city. "It looks like… Zanarkand did, in that sphere." She added quietly after a moment, resting her elbows on the rail.

"Yeah." Tidus said softly, and suddenly felt a little sad. It did look a lot like Zanarkand, but not as bright. "More lights in Zanarkand, though."

"I still wish I could see it." Closing her eyes, she leaned her head on his shoulder, and he felt suddenly at ease.

"It's better here." He said finally, sighing as he looked up to the star filled sky. "It's quieter."

She smiled a little, but didn't say anything else. They stood there for uncounted moments, quietly leaning against one another and staring out over the city. Tidus couldn't recall when he'd felt more at peace. It was a good feeling. He could get used to it.

Suddenly, something changed, and Yuna pulled away, her brow furrowed as if in worry.

"Yuna?" He asked, turning to face her and realized she was in pain. So much for getting used to it being at peace.

"It's… screaming again…" She whispered, opening her eyes a little to look at him.

"But you haven't been around any fiends…" His voice trailed off. It was getting stronger. Nooj was right, it was hurting her. She just hadn't been showing it, until it got to this point.

Hugging her tightly, Tidus couldn't help but feel somewhat helpless as she clenched her teeth and gripped him tighter. After what seemed like an eternity but couldn't possibly have been more then a minute or two, Yuna relaxed.

"Are you okay?" He asked softly, brushing a strand of hair that had fallen in her eyes.

"Now I am." She managed, closing her eyes and burying her face in his shoulder, hugging him tightly. "I don't know how to tell it I'll end it's pain…" She sighed, sounding overwhelmed and tired.

"Just hold on, Yuna. It'll be okay." Tidus heard himself say, trying to convince both her and himself. He wasn't going to let anything take her away without a fight, not after all that'd happened. 

"Thank you." She said softly, and he smiled down at her, wishing he could take the burden away from her. 

"Hey, that's what I'm here for. I'm your guardian, remember?" He grinned a bit, and she smiled in reply. She gazed up at him quietly, her face still flinching from the pain, but struggling against it. She wanted to be happy, happier then she already was. But now this… thing, was trying to steal it away from her. He felt useless, having no way to tell what she was going through.

"I'm glad." Yuna spoke finally, wrapping her arms around his neck and smiling up at him again. Though tears glinted on the edge of her eyes, he suspected they were happy ones. 

Carefully leaning down he kissed her softly, and she felt him relax in his arms. Holding her carefully he refused to think about what might happen if the Fayth really did hurt Yuna. He didn't dwell on the thought. Instead he pushed it away and held her tighter, never wanting to let go. That was a moment he wanted to last for eternity, but the good moments never seemed to last. 

"Ah, Yuna? Where are-" A voice suddenly interrupted, and Yuna pulled away from Tidus after a moment of hesitation.

"Brother?" She asked, blinking, as the Al Bhed poked his head out of the door and stared dumbfounded at her and Tidus.

"I… uh… Lulu… was… looking for… you?" He managed, still staring at them as if he'd seen a ghost.

"Oh. I'm sorry, I'll go right away." She forced a smile, then looked back to Tidus who found himself also, trying to smile. "I'm sorry…"

"It's okay." He smiled reassuringly at her, squeezing her hand a little as she walked towards the door. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes." She nodded, smiling again at him, as she walked around Brother and disappeared into the hall.

_'Why does it always have to end like this? Why can't we just have some peace for once? Just once?'_

"Goodnight, Brother." Tidus sighed, turning back to look out to Luca. Brother mumbled something ineligible, then quickly scurried away from the door, back into the hall.

Tidus gave a long sigh, and crossed his arms over the railing. He was really starting to look forward to the time when all this would settle down, and he'd have some time alone with Yuna to talk, without being interrupted by Fayth or some particular Al Bhed family. 

~~~~~~~

A/N: 

… My apologies if this chapter seemed rushed, short, out of character, pointless, repetitive, or … something else bad I can't think of right now. I've been trying to get it done for a long time now and it was driving me insane. I just had to finish it. It's finally done, and I'm somewhat happy with it. I hope it's not too disasteriffic, and is actually readable. 

Chapter 9 coming soon, I promise. *collapses* Next chapter will be ADVENTURE type, I promise. No more constant talk talk talk talk talk. The Gullwings get to run around in the Underground of Bevelle again. Doesn't that sound like fun?


	10. Chapter 9 Into the Darkness

I'M SORRY! I didn't mean for it to go this long without an update… I had food poisoning problems for a few days and I couldn't concentrate at all… and when I could I wasn't inspired… I'm really… really really really sorry. I feel so bad… I can't believe it's been this long…

Probably a lot of errors again… I've been slipping as of late… I need to get my stuff together and take people up on the offers of beta reading… I didn't do it with this chapter because I wanted to get it out quick so people wouldn't give up on this story completely… 

This chapter is short. I know. I'm very sorry. The next chapter will be up within the next few days. I would have written more for this one, but I can't write anymore at the moment because I have some other stuff to do before tomorrow and I'm quite sick at the moment. 

I just wanted to make sure you all knew I am still alive and I AM still writing this story… I WILL see it to the finish..

I promise, the next chapter will be up within THREE days. March 20th. That is if Fanfiction is nice and lets me upload quickly. 

Again, apologies all over the place for the mistakes, and the delay. Within these next three days I'll get a beta reader hopefully so the next chapters aren't so horrible. I WILL be making corrections to previous chapters when I hit the end of this story, so any input on where I screwed up in previous chapters would be nice so I can repair the damage. 

And oh right, I don't own FFX or FFX-2.

~~~~~~~  
Chapter 9

~~~~~~~

"Thanks for doing all of this, Lulu." Yuna smiled as she sat down at the table and reached for a slice of bread. Lulu had gotten up before anyone and had set out breakfast, Vidina sleeping peacefully nearby in a crib. The woman was amazing, even with a new child, she was staying in charge of everything. Yuna found herself wishing she could be as organized and calm as Lulu sometimes, though she doubted it would ever happen.

"It's not a problem. You all have an early start." Lulu said quietly, sitting down herself to sip a glass of water. "Well, that's if they get up in time." She added with a frown, looking past Yuna to where the door led to the hallway.

Yuna grinned and swallowed some bread, washing it down with her own glass of water. "I'm really the only one up?"

"It would appear that way." Lulu sighed, shaking her head.

"They'll probably be up soon." Yuna said cheerfully, reaching for another piece of bread and a fruit. She felt quite happy, despite the threat that dwelled in her mind. But the morning was so beautiful and sunny, she couldn't help but smile and try to ignore all the problems the day would face.

"Be careful, down there today." Lulu spoke quietly, as if she'd read Yuna's thoughts. Or perhaps it had been the slight frown in Yuna's face that had given her the hint.

"We will. Don't worry, Lulu. Last time we didn't have a problem, and this time they'll be four of us."

Four of us. Yuna swallowed a grin and sipped her water quietly. She had the sudden urge to giggle, but she knew Lulu wouldn't find it quite so amusing. 

_'I don't even know why I think it's amusing.'_ She thought with a small smile.

"It's not a vacation, Yuna." Lulu sighed, shaking her head and frowning. "You have to be careful."

Yuna's smile dropped. "I know… Please don't worry Lulu, we'll be fine, really."

Lulu didn't say anything, but her expression led Yuna to believe she was thinking something along the lines of _'Whenever someone says it'll be fine, it always turns out badly.'._ Yuna chose to ignore the look and resumed eating.

"Good morning Lu! Morning Yuna!" Wakka stretched as he walked into the room, smiling cheerfully as stopped in front of the table. "Where is everybody, ya?" He asked, looking around, then stopping when his eyes reached Vidina. "How's my boy this morning!" He grinned, walking over to the crib.

"Wakka, he's asleep…" Lulu attempted, but it was too late and Wakka had already picked the baby up. The heavily muscled man was surprisingly gentle when he held Vidina, and the look of love on his face as he gazed down at his son struck Yuna's heart. It was so beautiful, the three of them together, so happy.

Lulu smiled in spite of herself as she watched Wakka whisper to their son, then turned away and back to the nearby sphere screen. Flicking it on, she scanned through collection of broadcasts until it came up to a newscast. The man speaking on the screen seemed to be rambling on about something to do with Blitzball and the current scores. Apart from the fuss about the Blitzball game, there didn't seem to be any other stunning news.

So nothing new had happened overnight. No more fiends attacking or disasters appearing. Yuna smiled, feeling even better. _'No news is good news I suppose.'_ She thought, then went back to eating. 

"I hope they hurry up. You won't make Bevelle until this afternoon, and you don't want to be wandering around in the Underground in the dead of night. I've heard that it can become quite… unpleasant then." Lulu commented, still watching the screen as she put down her glass and folded her arms into her lap.

"Don't worry Lu, they can handle themselves, ya?" Wakka grinned, looking over to Lulu who was still watching the screen. "You worry too much! Yuna's a big girl now!"

The words 'big girl' didn't really feel like the suited her, but Yuna smiled just to show Wakka she was happy. He grinned back at her, then went back to his private conversation with Vidina.

"They'll probably be up soon anyway." Yuna added thoughtfully, looking around to where the door sat silently. There was no sound of anyone beyond it.

_'Hopefully.'_ She thought with a frown, as she turned back to Lulu and the sphere screen.

"Oh dear…" Lulu sighed, shaking her head and putting a hand to her brow.

"What's wrong?" Yuna asked, swallowing a mouthful of bread.

Lulu didn't say anything but moved out of the way, and increased the volume on the monitor. On it's bright blue display was a broadcast, with the familiar face of Shelinda beaming out.

"I'm sure no one in Spira missed last night's amazing Blitzball tournament! With Lady Yuna playing on the side of the Aurochs as a replacement player!" The display piped cheerfully, and the woman smiled for the camera. 

Yuna felt somewhat uncomfortable, but didn't really understand what Lulu was so worried about. Of course they were going to make a fuss about it. She didn't want them to, but she'd known soon as she entered the arena it'd be the latest buzz for weeks. It would have the positive effect of boosting morale, but she only did it for fun. Not to show off. 

"Wasn't Lady Yuna amazing? Who would have thought! Is there anything our Lady Yuna can't do?" Shelinda beamed, smiling so much it looked painful. Yuna sighed aloud.

Why did everything have to be such a fuss? Why did people have to get so worked up about whatever she did?

_'Because they have to look up to someone.'_ She thought after a moment, and it only irritated her more. In the background the woman babbled on about the game, and various points she'd enjoyed.

"But more importantly," Shelinda continued, enthusiastically as ever, "The question on everyone's mind!" Yuna reached for a glass of water, hearing someone entering the room behind her.

_'Finally, someone else is up.'_ She thought, turning to see who it was but stopped when Shelinda began to speak again.

"Who WAS that young man with the High Summoner?" Yuna nearly choked on her water and stared at the display. She should have known that was coming. She'd never thought about it, but of course, what would people say if they saw her with- "Perhaps a secret lover? Or is it perhaps the man that the High Summoner was seen with two years ago on her pilgrimage? Our Lady Summoner wasn't able to answer these questions last night due to her… sudden departure. But I'm sure we'll find out all the details soon! Coming up next, we'll have interviews from one of the spectators who sat in the front row!"

Lulu switched off the display and folded her arms over her lap.

Yuna stared at the blank display. 

"This reminds me of what it was like back in Zanarkand." Tidus sighed, from behind Yuna. She turned to see him leaning on the back of her chair, his arms folded and a amused look on his face.

"Huh?" She blinked, unsure of what else to respond with and too distracted by Shelinda's words to think of anything else.

"When I became the star player of the Zanarkand Abes, nobody would leave me alone. Interviews, questions, autographs, lessons, pictures, the works. Everyone wanted to know what I was doing, inside and outside the Blitz Arena."

"Oh." Yuna said quietly, a sinking feeling entering her gut. She was the High Summoner. She'd just defeated Vegnagun, and word was spreading fast about that. Then she'd held concerts and everyone was begging for more. Then she'd played Blitzball in one of the biggest tournaments of the season.

Now she had him caught up in the mess. Though considering his past, he probably dealt with the idea better then she did.

"But I don't want to be famous!" She sighed, slumping in her seat despite all the years of teaching that screamed at her not to.

"You don't have a choice, though. You're probably the most famous person in Spira at this current time, and will be for the rest of your life." Lulu sighed, crossing her arms. "You'll just have to make the best of it. Try to stay out of trouble."

Yuna stared at Lulu. "But I've been trying to!" She cried, feeling even more frustrated. She didn't want to be famous. But Lulu was right, she couldn't help it. She'd brought the eternal calm. She'd saved all of Spira from Sin, hopefully forever. History would always remember her, and while she was still alive, everyone was going to be looking up to her. "I've been trying…" She repeated, though it felt like a half hearted attempt at a reply. Staring down at her plate she felt her heart begin to sink. 

Lulu didn't look like she believed it. Yuna sighed and hung her head. "I just want some peace and quiet." 

"No time for that! We've gotta go save the world again!" Rikku cackled happily from behind her, startling Yuna so badly she nearly choked on the rest of her water. "Let's go let's go let's go!" Rikku bounced, waving her arms around as if she were pretending she was a bird.

_'I'm not ready for this yet. What happened to the good morning?'_ Yuna thought silently, as Paine entered the room behind Rikku and shot the young woman a hard look.

"Rikku, stop that. We're eating first, or I'm not going at all."

"Aww…" Rikku sighed, crossing her arms. "But I'm not hungry!"

"Too bad." Paine snapped, sitting down and helping herself to a piece of fruit.

Tidus sat down beside Yuna and gave her a half grin. It made her feel surprisingly better, and she attempted a smile back at him.

Maybe fate would be nice for a change and this whole Fayth threat would be fixed without too much of a fuss. 

_'Hoping is better then despairing, I suppose.'_ She thought with a sigh, as she began to finish her meal. It was hard to feel too sad though, despite the threat that loomed in front of her now. 

He was back. Sitting beside her. Ready to help her through this new danger. 

She felt surprisingly better already.

~~~~~~~

"Are you sure we have to do this?" Rikku sniffed suddenly, stopping just before the glowing elevator. "I mean… uh… can't we just find the records we need in some closet in Bevelle?"

Yuna sighed, and Tidus thought she looked somewhat irritated though he couldn't be sure. It was hard to imagine Yuna being irritated, let alone show it.

"Rikku, this is the only place we haven't checked. We have to go." Yuna sighed again, not looking at all happy about the idea either.

The day had a long one, filled with futile searching through every nook and cranny in Bevelle. They hadn't found anything to do with the aeons, and the only clues they had, were that Trema had taken them with him when he'd descended into the Underground.

"But… Didn't Trema destroy them all? So we don't have to go down there, right?" Rikku mumbled, staring at the elevator as if it might suddenly come alive and bite her.

"We don't know for sure. We have to check. It's our only option." Yuna said quietly, and stepped forward. "I'm going in. We have to find that Fayth."

"Let's just get it over with." Paine added, with a quick nod. Moving in front of Yuna, she stepped onto the elevator without hesitation.

Tidus didn't feel that comfortable about the whole idea of going down into the depths of who knew what, but he also knew it had to be done. With a sigh, he too stepped onto the platform and smiled encouragingly at Yuna. She attempted a smile back, then stepped up beside him.

Rikku stared at the three of them and bit her lip. "But…" Her voice trailed off, and Brother snorted from behind her.

"Go on! You are a Gullwing! Make us proud and get down there! That's an order." He snapped, giving her a push on the shoulder.

"I don't take orders from you!" Rikku snapped back, crossing her arms. "I don't see you coming down with us." She added, a sneer on her lips as she glared up at him. 

Brother went a shade of pale and then tried to regain his composure by standing up straighter. "I'm not afraid. But someone has to stay with the ship. I am the captain. The captain stays with his ship."

Rikku rolled her eyes but gave up on the argument. "You better be here when we get back!" She hissed, as she slowly stepped up onto the platform. 

He waved his hands in a dismissing manner, then stepped away from the elevator as it began to slowly descend into the depths of the tunnel. 

"Take care of Yuna!" Brother shouted at them, shaking his fist as the elevator slipped down into the tunnel and out of sight. His voice went out of hearing suddenly and all that was left was a eerie silence. Tidus regarded the others, and didn't feel much better. Yuna looked uneasy, Rikku terrified yet hiding it, and even Paine looked a bit uncomfortable.

"Do you guys always have this much fun?" He asked, scratching the back of his neck uneasily as Rikku shot him a glare.

"I never wanted to go back down here." She cried, moving her weight from one leg to another. "I hate this place!" 

"Stop complaining, Rikku." Snapped Paine, closing her eyes. "You're a Gullwing."

"A Gullwing! Why do you guys keep saying that? Of course I am! Does that mean I'm not allowed to be afraid of anything?" Rikku cried, her voice rising to a higher pitch. Paine winced, then shook her head.

"Of course not. But then we'd have to call you a Chickenwing instead."

There was a slight pause, then Rikku moaned and turned away, looking somewhat furious. Yuna covered her mouth and her bright eyes sparkled, betraying a laugh that wanted to creep out. Paine somehow managed to keep a straight face, and Tidus found Rikku watching him like a hawk.

"It isn't funny." She snapped, glaring over to Paine who was looking quite innocent and calm as usual. "Even if you finally tried to make a joke." Paine shrugged and Tidus found himself beginning to smile. "it's not funny!" Rikku cried, waving her hands at Tidus fiercely.

_'Oh boy.'_ He thought, struggling to keep from laughing. 

"I didn't say anything." He managed, trying to look as innocent as Paine.

Rikku just glared at him. She didn't buy it. Behind her Yuna seemed to be having quite a time trying to stop herself from giggling.

"You thought it!" Rikku snarled, crossing her arms and glaring even harder.

Tidus shrugged and she seemed a bit put off.

Finally the tension broke, and Rikku sniffed, turning away from all of them to lean on the railing. Tidus shook his head slowly and grinned at Yuna. She grinned back, and for a moment he almost forgot where they were. But it didn't last long.

The elevator descended quietly, and as it grew darker a few tiny lights around the edges of the railing blinked on. It was better then darkness, though Tidus would have found it more comforting if there had been more light. Sighing, he leaned on the railing and regarded the view. Nothing much to look at. The polished sides of the tunnel were dark and metallic. The elevator itself had the railing, and a few buttons to control the direction. Beyond that, and the others standing with him on it, there was nothing to see.

"How long is this going to take?" Rikku finally cringed, huddled in the very center of the elevator. The fear of the underground seemed to have made her forget the recent attack on her dignity.

Yuna sighed, but Paine saved her the trouble of answering.

"As long as it takes to find what we're looking for." The woman said calmly, staring at the tunnel wall as if it were an interesting view.

"That's not an answer!" Rikku whined, hugging her elbows as she looked upwards to where they'd come. The opening they had entered had sealed, and now it was a depressing black tunnel both up and down.

"I don't like this." Tidus muttered, looking over to the elevator controls again.

"What's to like?" Paine snapped, tapping her fingers on her crossed arms absently.

"What's with this place, anyway?" He continued, ignoring her icy response and looking to Yuna instead.

Yuna didn't say anything for a moment, though the way her eyes moved made him believe she was thinking about something.

"Nobody… is really sure." She finally said, pausing as the elevator began to speed up a little. "Bevelle's always had it's secrets. Most of them are left over from a thousand years ago, during the war with Zanarkand. When the war was over and Sin came, most of it was forgotten and everyone was too busy worrying about bringing the Calm then digging up old secrets. Eventually everything was forgotten and the few in Bevelle who knew about it kept all knowledge of it locked up. Because nobody ever came down here anymore, fiends began to enter and expand." Yuna paused again, looking over to the elevator's controls warily.

"Did you do something, Paine?" She asked, frowning.

Paine looked at her, then at the controls. "No. Why?"

"It feels like we're going faster."

Paine walked over to the controls, and peered down at them. "Nothing's changed, but you're right. We are."

"Maybe… that's normal?" Rikku attempted a grin, but Tidus could see the color was draining out of her face.

"Uh… Sure! It must be." He grinned, patting her on the shoulder and trying to look believable. She looked up at him with a panicked look, then seemed to settle down again.

"Oh. Okay." She managed, huddling down closer to the elevator's floor.

Paine shook her head and muttered something, but it seemed more to herself then someone, and the words were lost in the soft drone of the elevator.

"I'd always heard stories about Bevelle's secrets, but being in Zanarkand I didn't really know much. We never saw much of the war." He paused, recalling back to what seemed like ages ago. The war had ended a few years before he'd seen Sin. Everything had been calm and it seemed like Bevelle would finally sit down and talk about peace. Then Sin came. 

__

'Not the time to think about that.' He thought with a frown, then looked back over to Yuna.

"But you've been here before?" Tidus asked, feeling silly. Yuna had told him about their adventure, though she hadn't said much. He'd wanted to hear the rest of it, and maybe it was finally the right time. And maybe it was a good idea to keep the silence broken. The drone of the elevator wasn't exactly calming.

Yuna nodded once, then looked over to Paine and Rikku. "When we were looking for Vegnagun, we first came here. We thought it would lead down to Vegnagun, but I guess we got confused. This chamber… opens up into a maze of lower chambers. They go down and down for… well… we don't know how far down they go." She shivered a little in spite of herself, then continued.

"Nobody knows when they were made, the only guess we have is that they were originally part of the old Bevelle, a thousand years ago. The only person other then us to have come down here in the last while was Trema. He was heading Bevelle before Baralai took over, but his ideas were… different. He took all the spheres of the history of Spira and disappeared into these chambers. That's all anyone had heard of him."

"Those are the spheres we're looking for?" Tidus asked, tilting his head.

"Yes. But we found Trema in the depths, while we were looking for Vegnagun. He said he'd destroyed them all, because it was better to live without the past clouding everything. Then he attacked. We defeated him, but he wouldn't say anything more about the spheres. Then he just disappeared." She shrugged a little, but still looked quite uncomfortable. "So we don't know. This is the only idea we had though. If we can find the spheres, maybe some will be intact. Maybe we'll find something to do about this Fayth."

"Kinda a long shot." Tidus sighed, closing his eyes.

"Yeah." She said quietly.

"Wouldn't it be easier to just look all over Spira until we find a temple?" Rikku mumbled, sitting down on the floor and hugging her knees. 

"Rikku, that'd take years. We don't have that kind of time." Came Paine's cold reply.

"But… This place gives me the creeps! It's worse then the Farplane." Sniffing, Rikku buried her head in her arms. Tidus couldn't remember seeing her so afraid, not even the time when she'd been freaking out about the lightning in the Thunder Plains.

"It'll be okay, Rikku." He said, a lot calmer sounding then he felt. 

_'At least, I hope it will.'_

He looked over to Yuna, and she seemed to be thinking the same thing.

Paine's head tilted up, then snapped over to Yuna, catching the woman's attention. "Yuna. We're slowing down."

Yuna blinked, and from below them Rikku moaned. "Alright then. Everyone, get ready." She said after a pause, sounding quite calm yet in her eyes there were an uncertainty Tidus didn't like the look of.

"Can't I just stay here?" Rikku asked with a quivering voice, standing up slowly as the elevator began to go slower and slower.

"And get eaten all alone? Sure, if that's what you want." Paine sighed, shaking her head at Rikku's complaints.

Rikku stared at Paine wordlessly, and this time her face went completely white.

"I… Think… I'll go with you guys." She croaked, slowly taking out her twin blades. 

"Good choice." Paine said, looking away towards the entrance that was beginning to appear in front of them.

As the elevator came to a sudden halt, the entrance opened up and revealed before them a huge chamber. Tidus blinked in surprise. It was a lot like the Farplane. Though the area looked much like the rest of Bevelle, a dense fog seemed to be present in various areas, and the odd pyrefly danced in and out of the walls.

"Cheery." He muttered, taking out Brotherhood and gripping it's hilt tightly.

"Let's go." Yuna sighed grimly, stepping of the elevator and into the fog. Tidus followed behind her, staying close beside her. 

Though the setting was different then anything he'd ever seen before, and so many things had changed, he was vaguely reminded of when he had fought beside Yuna before Sin's defeat. When he'd been protecting her as a Guardian. Now they were protecting each other, and Sin was no longer a threat. That probably should have made him happy. But the place seemed to sap the very happiness out of him and replace it with dread. The same kind of dread he'd felt when he knew Yuna was walking to her death at the hands of Sin.

_'Why does this seem so familiar?'_ He thought darkly, looking behind him as Rikku and Paine stepped out after them. _'Rikku was right. This place is freaky.'_ Looking back to Yuna, he saw she was already nearing stairs that would lead them down to the next level.

__

'Maybe we'll get lucky and this will be easier then it sounds.'

Walking quickly after her, he felt the fog around him almost move on it's own accord. As if it were reaching at him, as if it were trying to sap away the life from his body. He shuddered slightly as he caught up with Yuna and fell into pace beside her.

_'Who am I kidding?'_

~~~~~~~~  
AN: Three days! I promise! It'll be here! It might be about the same length as this one, but it'll be here! Somehow… X_X I hope this chapter wasn't too bad, and that the errors aren't too huge in number. I've looked through the best I could but I just want to get this darn thing up before I lose my mind and have a stress attack. 

NEXT CHAPTER! Three days! *collapses*


	11. Chapter 10 Dark Labyrinth

Apologies for this being short, and a day late. I was greeted by a nasty surprise when I realized that I had a huge test to study for, and didn't have time to write. So I'm really sorry, but here it is finally. Yet another short chapter, and probably not enough happens in it, but I hope it's not too bad. I didn't want to drag it out to make it boring. The next one will be longer, I promise, though it will be a bit of a longer wait. Most likely a week. 

(EDIT: I uploaded a different file of the story, so hopefully Fanfiction.net will be more happy with this one and won't kill the paragraph structure… sorry about that for those of you who had to read it all scrunchy!)

This chapter has been fixed up by Golden Rose3 who was nice enough to beta it for me. Thank you again!! 

Hopefully now there aren't any errors, and it's easier to read then the last chapters I've done.

Thanks for the comments, as usual, it's wonderful to read them.

In reply to comments-

Kamikaze-

Ah! Don't shoot me! Please! X__X It's here it's here… just a day late due to stupid school. I didn't know they were going to hit me with that. As for Brother… yes… they didn't give me much to work with, and I know I made him a bit weird… probably too weird. 

AngelOfDeath90-

Most of it is based on my imagination, though most of chapter 1 and chapter 3 are directly from the games, except for some stuff I added. The rest of the story is all my idea… yes… I am to blame!

Golden Rose3-

Yes.. I think I did make an error there with the whole Bevelle/Zanarkand War… but I honestly couldn't remember what the game had said about it, and I sort of just guessed instead… not much was ever said about it, I don't think. 

… Chapter 10? What?! Already?! Well I guess technically it's chapter 11 with the prologue but… what happened?! How'd this get so far?! I only ever meant it to be a few chapters… Sheesh. Well, I hope it's still an okay read. I'm not sure if I like how it's going right now, but I don't seem to have much of a chance. I just sit down, and I go into this daze and start writing. Then when I regain my sanity I look back at what I wrote and doubt… but I think it's okay. Or rather, I dearly hope it's okay.

Thanks for all the reviews, I don't own FFX-2, and now on with the darn chapter already.

~~~~~~~~~  
Chapter 10  
~~~~~~~~~

"It's endless!" Tidus sighed, stopping beside Yuna as she regarded the two paths in front of them. "It just keeps going down and down…" His voice trailed off as he too looked down each path. They were exactly the same. Dimly lit and slightly foggy, with a very uncomfortable, eerie feeling about them.

"Welcome to Bevelle's underground." Paine snorted, kneeling down to recheck her equipment as they paused. 

"Welcome? But we've been here for hours! Can't we just go home?" Rikku cried, clutching Yuna's arm and looking around warily. "We haven't even seen any fiends! This is really weird, Yunie…"

Yuna had to agree. It was strange. They'd been walking for at least three hours, descending the many levels, and they still hadn't seen one fiend. But the feeling they were in danger of being attacked never left them from the moment they had entered the chambers.

"What do you think, Paine?" Yuna looked over to the warrior, who was carefully counting out how many potions she had with her.

"I think we just have to keep going. We can't give up now, we must be close." She said calmly, and Yuna wasn't surprised by the answer. Though she'd found herself hoping that Paine would just say they should give up and leave.

"We can handle any fiends, right? We handled Sin!" Tidus grinned, looking as though he was trying very hard to be encouraging and cheerful despite the surroundings. She couldn't help but smile just a little bit.

"You haven't seen the fiends down here." Paine muttered, standing back up. With a sigh, Yuna felt the smile leave her face. 

"That's not helping." Rikku hissed, bouncing up and down nervously. 

_'But she's right. Usually this place is crawling with powerful fiends. What happened?'_ Yuna thought to herself, looking around. She saw only the same thing she'd been seeing for the last three hours. Disturbingly calm fog, her companions and the endless halls. It was getting not only annoying, but eerie. The air was filled with the constant feel that something was watching them, following them, but there were no signs of life at all. She shivered a little, but tried to hide it. She didn't want them to worry.

"Maybe when we defeated Trema they all just disappeared?" She asked after a moment, thinking of no other explanation. Paine frowned and crossed her arms, while Rikku looked hopeful.

"It couldn't have been that simple. Not with that many fiends." Shaking her head, Paine walked over to the left path and looked down it. "They're here somewhere." She added, a frown still on her face as she turned around and walked over to the other passage.

"Just a question of where." Tidus looked around hesitantly, then sighed. "Let's just keep moving, this place is giving me the creeps." 

_'I couldn't agree more.'_ Yuna thought as she looked from passageway to passageway. "But which way?"

"They both look the same." Paine shrugged. "Let's just pick one and go. I don't think standing here is a good idea."

"No… you're probably right." Yuna thought for a moment, then looked over again at the passages. Nothing unique about either one. "How about left." She said finally, shaking her head and dropping her hands to her sides. She had no idea which way to go. But they seemed to be looking to her as the leader. Why was she always put in charge? She'd never wanted to be…

"Left it is then. Let's go." Paine strode off quickly, taking the lead and looking quite alert. Rikku followed close behind though somewhat hesitantly, constantly looking around as if something was going to jump out at her. Considering the feel that was in the air, Yuna didn't blame her.

"You ready?" Tidus asked, looking somewhat concerned. Maybe he could tell she was upset. 

"Yes." She nodded, walking after Paine. He walked beside her, keeping pace and looking around and behind them. On the alert for fiends, but he still had his air of self confidence and boyish ease. He really hadn't changed. 

Smiling in spite of the depressing mood surrounding her, she felt a little weight move off her shoulders mentally. Keeping pace with the others, she soon found herself losing focus on the things around her. Her mind started to drift back to everything that had happened. What was happening.

A distant scream echoed in her mind, but she didn't stop. Flinching she struggled to keep herself calm, she didn't want the others to notice, didn't want them to worry. It wasn't much. The scream was already fading. A muted whisper compared to what she had heard before.

_'Please hold on.'_ She thought, as if somehow the Fayth might be able to hear her. She nearly chided herself for thinking such a thing, but she couldn't help but hope. Maybe it could hear her, like she could hear it. _'I'll help you.'_

There was no answer of any kind, but she hadn't expected one. Sighing she kept walking without care and didn't pay attention to the conversation that was beginning to flicker back and forth between Rikku and Paine. She had a good guess on what the words would be, and she was tired of hearing it. Instead she wondered again at the dreams, and the images burned in her mind. 

How had her father been able to reach her? He had been sent, weren't all who were sent forever lost to the Farplane, not even able to contact those living? She recalled his words in her mind. They were easy to remember, they felt as if they'd been burned into her memory. It had been him, and not just a dream, she was sure of it. _'I wish I could have spoken with him.'_ She felt almost as if she wanted to cry. It had been a long time since she had been sad of her father's parting. She'd been so young when he left, she barely recalled the memories of him. The spheres she had seen on her pilgrimage to Zanarkand had been something she'd never expected and dearly cherished. But she'd never thought she'd be able to actually have him speak to her.

_'I wish I could have known you.'_ She'd grown up without any parents at all. Her mother had died when she was young, too young to even remember what she had looked like. Her father had raised her alone until he decided to go on his pilgrimage, leaving her behind. Then she'd been alone in Bevelle, taken care of by priests until Kimahri came and took her away to Besaid. Lulu and Wakka had taken her in as a sort of little sister, and with Kimahri always close by, she grew up as happily as she could.

But she'd always waited for the day when her father would come home. It was only until a few years later when everything was explained to her, when she finally realized. At first she'd cried and no one could make her feel better. Then she slowly began to realize what was going on, and what Sin really was. Soon she began to learn the teachings of Yevon, as Lulu left to become a guardian for a failed pilgrimage. When Lulu returned, Yuna realized what it was she wanted to do. Not to walk in her father's footsteps, but do what he had done, aid the people of Spira.

It all seemed like such a long time ago. Yuna sighed and looked down to the floor that passed below her feet. All those years, she'd grown up wanting to see her father. Then it had come so suddenly, she hadn't had time to even realize it until it was over. But at least, he knew. He knew everything. It made her feel better, that he was there somewhere, watching her.

The thought surprised her, and somewhere inside of her she felt a little bit more hope welling up. The thought of her father watching her gave her strength, and suddenly, the endless hall wasn't as eerie. She had her friends beside her, and her family watching her from the Farplane. What more did she need?

"What's that?" Rikku said suddenly, sending Yuna dashing out of her thoughts and coming to an abrupt halt. The Al Bhed spun around, her head shaking as she looked around feverishly. Paine's watchful glance was somewhat calmer, though no less intense.

"I don't see anything." The warrior said after a moment, frowning at Rikku.

"Me neither." Tidus shrugged, looking behind them and even up at the murky ceiling.

"But… I heard something." Rikku quivered, her eyes dilated as she moved to the center of the group. "I'm sure I did!"

"What did you hear?" Yuna asked, trying to keep herself calm and somehow calm down her cousin.

"Footsteps." Rikku blinked, then looked behind Yuna, as if something would be hiding behind her. "Behind us." She added, her eyes darting around the floor wildly.

"There's nothing there." Paine sighed, her tone slightly irritated though still cautious.

"But I'm sure I did…" Rikku's voice trailed off as she slowly spun around, looking every which way.

"Paine's right, there isn't anything." Tidus shook his head, though he didn't sound too convinced.

"Let's just keep moving." Yuna swallowed her fear and stepped forward past Paine.

They hadn't walked far when Rikku suddenly stopped again.

"There it is again!" She cried, looking behind Tidus towards where they had come. Yuna stopped and looked back herself, squinting.

Fog. Two pyreflies. Darkness. Walls that went on forever and a ceiling that seemed to be made of shadow. But there wasn't anything else to be seen.

"Rikku, I don't see anything." She sighed, rubbing her eyes. The darkness was starting to strain them, and the fog made everything seem blurry.

"I know I heard it!" Rikku cried, looking even more upset and terrified. Yuna regarded her cousin with worry. A hysterical Rikku wouldn't be much good in battle, and she didn't want her cousin to get hurt. "Rikku, it's okay. We can beat anything that's here. We've been here before."

Rikku paused, but shook her head. "Not if it surprises us!"

"It won't." Paine cut in, her voice a pure calmness that made Yuna feel almost jealous. How did Paine manage it?

"How do you know!" Rikku shrieked and Tidus winced.

"Yuna's right, we should keep moving." He said quickly, before Paine could open her mouth or Rikku could start again.

Rikku looked over at him as if he were insane, but didn't say anything. She seemed almost too afraid to even speak anymore. Instead she walked over to Paine and huddled beside her, her eyes constantly darting around the hall. Paine rolled her eyes, but seemed to take some pity on the Al Bhed and didn't complain.

They started off again, this time their pace slightly quicker, and softer. Yuna could tell Paine was straining to hear any sounds other then their own, but it wasn't easy. There were no other sounds at all. In fact, the entire underground seemed to be completely silent, even the musical whispers the pyreflies sometimes emitted couldn't be heard.

Nothing eventful happened for quite a while, and Yuna was beginning to think things would be fine, when the passageway suddenly curved into a corner. On the other side of the corner, a dead end.

"What?! After all that?" Rikku shouted, stopping dead in her tracks. Yuna too was surprised, all the passageways before had always had stairs at the end of them, never a dead end. Perhaps they had taken the wrong turn after all.

"Is there any way down?" Yuna asked, looking around and unable to find anything remarkable herself. Paine walked to the wall and felt its surface carefully. After a few moments, she shrugged.

"It's a normal wall. Nothing special about it, and there are no stairs anywhere here."

"So we have to go back?" Tidus sighed, frowning and crossing his arms.

"I guess so." Yuna felt her heart sink. More time wasted, and energy they couldn't spare wasted. 

"But it's so long…" Rikku's voice cut in, a tired wail that cut through the air like a knife. Yuna winced in spite of herself, but managed to keep herself from saying anything. She wasn't happy either. But they had no choice.

"So let's just go." Yuna turned around, and stopped dead in her tracks. Tidus frowned and looked over to her, then turned around as well. He stopped short, and blinked.

"Are you sure there isn't anything?" Rikku said unhappily, her back still turned to the way they had come.

"Rikku…" Paine called softly, her eyes focused on the path.

"What?" Rikku cried, sounding quite fed up as she turned around to look at the warrior.

Silence. 

The Tonberry stared at them silently, the little lantern clasped carefully in his hand, emitting an eerie golden glow into the fog around him. His eyes seemed to glow from his green head, and the brown cloak he wore seemed to fade in and out of sight as if it were part of the fog.

But it was the knife that caught Yuna's attention most.

"But…" Rikku's voice trailed off painfully, and she took a step backwards to the wall behind them. "How?"

"That must have been what you heard." Paine said grimly, drawing her sword.

"It'll be no problem!" Tidus tried to sound cheerful, but Yuna could tell he was worried.

"These ones are stronger then the normal kind." Yuna heard herself say, her voice sounding strained. The Tonberry stared at them silently, the lantern swinging silently in his hand.

"Can't we… bargain with it?" Rikku gulped, taking out her twin blades with great hesitation.

"It's a fiend, Rikku. You can't bargain with a fiend." Paine snapped, holding her sword up in a prepared stance. 

"But these guys are tough!" Rikku sniffed, putting her hands up in a defensive position as the Tonberry continued to stare at them silently.

"What's it doing?" Tidus frowned, drawing Brotherhood out.

"I don't know… I think it's waiting." Yuna said slowly, bring out her gun and holding it carefully in her hand. They never attacked fast, she didn't have to worry about speed.

"What for?!" Cried Rikku, edging nervously backwards.

Suddenly the Tonberry took a step forward, its strange body rocking back and forth with its movement. 

Paine dealt the first blow. A sword swipe across the creature's chest, but the robe seemed to deflect it. Before Paine could even recover from her attack the Tonberry's knife jabbed into her leg. Stumbling backwards Paine quickly moved to use a potion on the wound while Tidus tried the same attack. Again, it was useless, and he narrowly missed getting cut by the creature's knife. Jumping back he stared at his blade then at the creature in confusion.

"I'm not hurting it at all!"

"Not again…" Yuna muttered, loading her gun. 

"Maybe it's one of the crazed ones? They're all more powerful then normal fiends…" Rikku chattered nervously, refusing to budge from her position. 

"It must be." Standing back up Paine held up her sword again, but did not move to attack. "Weapons aren't going to work. What about magic?"

Yuna shook her head slowly, regarding the gun in her hand. "I think… we should try to make a run for it. They can't move that fast."

"But we're cornered! And who knows how many more of those things are out there, when they can go invisible like that!" Rikku cried, looking horrified at her own words. Yuna thought for a moment, and realized she was probably right. They could just jump over the thing, or run around it, but who knows how many more stood waiting for them in the fog.

"We better think of something quick…" Tidus hissed, as the Tonberry took another pace forward, looking to every one of them as if trying to decide who to attack first.

"Are you sure there's no way out of here?" Yuna looked over to Paine, but the warrior shook her head.

"I checked twice. There's nothing."

"But that can't be possible, all the other paths ended with a way out…" Yuna's voice trailed off. Just because they hadn't seen a dead end yet, didn't mean one didn't exist. Maybe they'd been lucky, until now. 

"Yunie, what are we going to do?" Rikku's voice rose higher with every word she spoke. It was a panic that Yuna herself was starting to feel. 

The Tonberry took another step forward, towards Rikku.

"Do something!" Paine shouted, standing in front of Rikku and holding her sword up at ready.

Frantically Yuna looked around the dead end, trying to find something, anything, that might help them. There truly was nothing remarkable about anything. The walls were smooth, the ceiling was the same as it'd ever been, and the floor was the usual metallic like surface. Kneeling down she looked at the floor closer. Nothing different then the one they'd been walking on since they got here. Frustrated she stood up and turned back around. Two more Tonberries had appeared, behind the first.

"Were they leading us here?" Rikku cried, backing up further to the wall.

"How would they have known? We chose a passage at random." Paine frowned, watching the approaching Tonberry like a hawk.

"Smells like a trap to me." Tidus muttered, backing up beside Yuna who stared at the fiends blankly. She had no idea what to do. She wanted someone else to make a choice, find an answer, but she knew that wasn't going to happen. It never seemed to.

"Paine!" Came Rikku's cry as the Tonberry suddenly struck out at the warrior, sending her stumbling backwards. Rikku grabbed Paine's arm and dragged her back beside Tidus and Yuna, up against the wall.

"Now we're even more trapped…" Paine groaned, clutching her bleeding arm, her sword dangling from her hand uselessly.

"We could call the others!" The Al Bhed suddenly turned to Yuna, her green eyes glinting in the dim light. "Try it Yunie!"

"They'd never come in time-" Paine started but Yuna ignored her. She hadn't thought of that, why hadn't she thought of that?

"Brother? Buddy? Can anyone hear me?" She tried, speaking into the small device that was clipped to her shirt. No answer besides a dim static. It didn't take her long to come up with an answer to that.

"Something in these tunnels must be blocking the signal." She said grimly. "I don't think they can hear us."

Everyone fell silent and all eyes went to the Tonberries that were slowly approaching, their small lanterns gently swinging eerily.

Yuna took another step back, and found herself bumping into the smooth wall behind them. They were truly trapped, and now they couldn't even run. After all she'd been through, was it going to end like this? Her foot bumped into something on the ground, and she frowned, thinking she had run into Rikku. Looking down she found nothing, and the others were not near enough to her to have been in the way.

Brushing her foot over the floor again, she hit the object again. Kneeling down carefully, she waved away the light fog and ran her fingers over the smooth floor. There didn't seem to be anything there. Tidus kneeled down beside her and looked from the Tonberries to her.

"Yuna?"

She didn't say anything but squinted closer at the floor. There had been something there. She was certain of it. Ignoring the others and the approaching danger she ran her hands over the floor once more.

There. Brushing away the fog again she peered closer at the object. A small square of metal seemed to have risen out of the floor. It was nearly impossible to see from any angle because of its appearance and size, but it was there.

"What's this?" She muttered aloud, and the others looked over to her.

From the corner of her eye she could see a Tonberry coming into range.

It didn't make any sense at all. What was it? It must be there for a reason, but why so well hidden? Maybe it was some kind of switch.

"Yunie look out!" Rikku cried as the Tonberry suddenly came at her a lot faster.

Only one way to find out. She slammed her hand down onto it as hard as she could, and the thing moved much more easily then she had expected. It sunk into the ground, and before she could even regain her balance, the floor began to fall apart from under their feet. She heard Rikku scream as they began to fall down, into the darkness of the underground below. The lights disappeared and all she felt was the sensation of falling. Somewhere she could hear the others, but she couldn't see them. She reached out into the darkness but couldn't touch anything. Only emptiness seemed to reach out back at her. She was about to cry out when she hit something solid far too fast and far too hard.

Everything blacked out completely and she felt herself slip into the darkness of sleep with little more then a whimper of protest.


	12. Chapter 11 Fighting the Shadow

I haven't forgotten about this fic, REALLY! Nor have I died. Or given up. Just… got… really delayed. A lot. . I am very sorry. 

*rips at her hair* Augh. Weeks of hell. X__X Good grief, I am sorry for the delay, though I couldn't help it. This was supposed to be done at least a week ago. *sighs* I WILL try to get the next chapter up sooner, but I'm not sure if I can promise it'll be up in a week. I do however promise, I will NOT go more then two weeks without an update. That's just insane of me. .

Again, BIG BIG thanks to my beta, Golden Rose3. Chapter is all nice and tidy now. ^_^

As usual… I don't own FFX or FFX2.

~~~~~~~~

Chapter 11

~~~~~~~~

By some miracle, Tidus found himself still alive and not suffering too much pain. With a groan, he slowly picked himself off the cold floor, and brushed dust off his skin. Nothing appeared to be broken. He'd been lucky. Very lucky. Maybe all those times falling during Blitzball practice had actually counted for something after all.

A strange rumbling made him look up to the hole through which they had fallen. Squinting, he could barely make out the gap in the murky darkness. It appeared to be closing, somehow, the metal plates that had come free when Yuna had pressed that switch were once again returning to a solid floor. But it also meant they were closing the only exit. Groaning he brushed his hand through his hair and looked around him. 

He was standing in a long hall, exact in appearance to all the ones that had come before. It was darker then the previous halls, and felt more sinister. The fog wasn't quite as thick as it had been, but it almost seemed to glow an eerie white. Shivering from the sudden cold, Tidus looked around the area for any sign of the others. It didn't take him long to catch sight of someone else, even through the fog and darkness.

Paine was nearby, slowly attempting to get up herself. Upon further inspection, he spotted Rikku a few feet away from the warrior. She appeared to be in the same condition as Paine, and was slowly sitting up with a groan. So Rikku and Paine were fine. But…

_'Where's Yuna?'_ He looked around again but didn't see anything. A panic gripped him and he quickly walked around in a circle, looking everywhere frantically. He couldn't see her with the others.

"Yuna!" He called, and his voice seemed to die just as it'd left his lips. The fog enveloped it and seemed to mock him with its soft glow. He frowned, and felt concern growing inside of him. Where was she? He'd seen her fall, hadn't he? She couldn't be very far away… She should be able to hear him.

"Yuna!" He shouted again, and Paine grimaced at the loudness of the sound. Rikku's eyes suddenly lit up and she too, began to look around frantically.

"Yunie! Yunie where are you?"

Not waiting for the others Tidus began to walk away from where they had fallen, his eyes searching the floor over and over. Sweeping clouds of fog out of his eyes, he stared harder into the murky darkness. She couldn't have gone any further, unless she had gotten up before the others and went ahead. But Yuna wouldn't do that. She would have stayed with the others if they seemed to be injured.

"Yuna!" Paine called, her voice adding to the dull echo that bounced across the hall and seemed to die within the fog. There was no answer save the eerie silence and a strange humming that seemed to vibrate through the air. Why hadn't he noticed that before?

Frowning he slowed down, and looked around once more. Still no sign at all of Yuna, or that she'd even fallen. What if she was still above with the Tonberries?

_'No, I saw her fall, I'm sure of it.'_

The humming seemed to get suddenly louder.

"What's that?" Rikku asked timidly from behind him, standing nearby beside Paine.

Paine tilted her head to look up at the ceiling above them, then down to the floor.

"I don't know." She said finally, with a frown. "But I don't think I like it."

"Where's Yunie?" Rikku cried, turning in a circle to look around the area once more. "Why isn't she here?"

Paine gritted her teeth but Tidus saw she looked just as worried as Rikku did. "I don't know." She repeated with a slight sigh.

"You don't think she's…" Rikku's voice trailed off and Tidus tried to ignore the words that could have completed that sentence.

__

'Still there up there with the Tonberries?'

'Fallen further down somehow?'

'…Dead?'

"We would have found her, Rikku." Paine growled, glaring both at the Al Bhed and Tidus. Perhaps somehow she'd seen the words in their eyes. "She probably just wandered off."

"But Yunie doesn't wander off…" Rikku mumbled, her green eyes looking down to the floor in worry. She looked tired and frightened, but the worry for her cousin's well being seemed to suddenly overcome all of it.

"We're not going to find her standing around talking. Keep looking!" Tidus snapped angrily, and Paine gave a curt nod before walking down the hall. Rikku looked taken aback, but she too began to wander around the area, back to where they had fallen.

_'Have to calm down. She's got to be here somewhere. Probably just walked off in a daze like Paine said. But why haven't we seen her? How long were we out? … What IS that humming?'_ Slowly he looked up again, to the ceiling. Through the darkness, he saw something glint.

He blinked and stared at it. There hadn't been anything before. What was that? He squinted and opened his mouth to call to the others, when the humming suddenly got louder and erupted into a deafening roar. Stumbling backwards, he managed by pure luck to get out of the way as the huge fiend fell to the ground with a rumble. As he regained his balance and looked up at it, he felt both relief and terror at the same time.

"YUNA!" He shouted, and the fiend craned its long neck to look at him, then at the woman it held in one of its long claws. Almost as if it understood what he was saying. Slowly it turned back to him, its long tail curling around its body as it reared itself up to full height.

She seemed to be knocked out, but he couldn't tell if she was hurt, or… _'No.' _He gritted his teeth and struggled to make out her form in the darkness. It was impossible to tell. The fiend was waving her around too much.

"What the heck is that?" Rikku cried, then spotting Yuna let out a squeal of terror. "Yunie!"

"It's a basilisk?" Tidus muttered with a frown. He'd never seen one do anything like that before. Usually they froze their prey instead of grabbing them and then climbing up a wall with them.

"No…" Paine said quietly, as she looked as the beast with realization filling her eyes. "Yunalesca."

Tidus stared at her, then back at the fiend that was watching them intently, hissing and waving Yuna around like a doll. Yunalesca? Had he heard her right? He snapped his eyes back over to Paine as the name hit hard.

"Yunalesca?!" He half shouted, looking back to the fiend who seemed to… grin.

"Yunalesca. Or at least her spirit. She was never sent, when she died. She lingered for ages, until she was finally sent by Yuna in Zanarkand."

"But… if she's sent…" Tidus stared at Paine, confusion running rampart in his mind.

"You remember Shuyin. His emotions were left over. This is just like that, only it's Yunalesca. We encountered her before down here. Apparently, her 'spirit' is strong." Paine glared at the fiend, and slowly drew her sword.

"So this should be okay, right?" He looked back over to Yuna and felt worry grip him even more.

"She wasn't exactly easy last time." Rikku moaned, as she too drew her weapons.

Paine ignored them both and drew her sword up in preparation to strike. As she dashed forward with the sword held tightly in her hands, Yunalesca suddenly slithered backwards and held up the claw that held Yuna. Paine barely managed to stop her blade before it hit the young woman's prone form.

"Damn!" Paine shouted, leaping back just in time to avoid Yunalesca's other claw that had swiped at her. "She's using Yuna as a shield!"

Tidus felt his stomach sink even deeper. Perfect. It could never be simple, could it?

"What are we going to do?" Rikku cried, lowering her weapons as Yunalesca regarded each of them with a dull hiss. 

"We've got to get Yuna." Tidus heard himself say, as his eyes locked on her pale form. 

Yunalesca seemed to grin wider, as she swung Yuna around behind her and tossed her onto the ground carelessly. Tidus felt the impact as Yuna rolled and lay still. Gritting his teeth, he glared up at the fiend as it began to steadily advance on the three of them.

"Don't you hurt Yunie!" Rikku shouted, running forward and raking her daggers across the thing's exposed chest. It screamed in surprise and reared back, flailing a long arm full of claws and hitting Rikku hard in the side. Rikku yelped in pain but it seemed the blades had only scraped her. The Al Bhed glared up at the creature harder, and struck again.

But this time, she was not alone. Paine had used the time to shift into her dark knight form, and was already attacking Yunalesca beside Rikku. 

"Help Yuna!" Paine shouted gruffly at him as he stepped forward to help. "We can handle this." Tidus hesitated for a moment, as Paine took a hard blow in the stomach but recovered. "Go!" The warrior shouted, shoving Rikku out of the way as a downwards slash of claws nearly impaled the thief.

He didn't need anymore pressing. Turning away from the battle he ran over to where Yuna had fallen. "Yuna?" He asked hesitantly, touching her shoulder lightly. She was cold, but she seemed to be breathing. She wasn't dead. He took in a breath to try and calm himself down. Not dead. She was okay. Behind him he heard a shriek from the fiend and then one from Rikku. He had to help them, but he had to help Yuna.

"Yuna." He repeated, but she didn't make any sign of hearing him, or even waking. He felt tears of frustration threaten to fill his eyes. "Wake up."

She didn't answer. She just lay there, still and silent as the cold air around them.

He felt so helpless, he wanted to scream. Carefully he brushed a strand of hair that had fallen in her eyes off her face, and frowned. Maybe the fall had just knocked her out. Or maybe Yunalesca had done something to her. Whatever it was, she didn't look well at all.

Tidus took her cold hand and held it tight. Still no response. Behind him he could hear the battle. He couldn't help her, he didn't know what to do. But he knew what he could do.

Slowly he let go of her hand, and carefully put it on her waist, away from the cold floor. Then he stood up, and looked down at Yuna. He couldn't sit there and watch her while the others died trying to defeat that fiend. He had to fight too. 

"I'll be back." He whispered quietly to her, though he doubted she could hear him. She looked so sad, lying there motionless, her face looking so worried and tired. He knew she couldn't possibly be any older then twenty years, maybe even younger, she'd never told him. But there were times when she seemed much, much older. So much had happened to her. It wasn't fair. She was strong, but hadn't she earned a break?

He tore his gaze away finally and looked over to Yunalesca and the others. It wasn't going well at all. Worse then he had expected. 

Taking a deep breath, he drew Brotherhood out again, and advanced. Paine frowned at him and opened her mouth to protest, when Yunalesca swiped her tail across the warrior's chest, sending her slamming into Rikku. The two landed in a pile as the fiend drew up her claws to strike down at them.

"Hey! Over here, you overgrown worm!" He shouted, waving his sword in the air. Yunalesca paused, then slowly turned her head to look over at him. The large gem in the center of her forehead seemed to glow angrily, and she let out a low hiss.

"Yeah, I'm talking to you!" The bravado made him feel a little better. He knew it was just going to get her angrier and probably more dangerous, but he was past the point of caring. She'd hurt Yuna, and now she was trying to hurt the others. No way. Not while he was around.

Before she could strike, he ran forward and held up his sword high, readying for a strike against her hard scales. He'd beaten her once before to save Yuna's life. Now it seemed history wanted to repeat itself. He couldn't lose.

~~~~~~~~  
  
Yuna could tell before she opened her eyes she was in the 'dream' again. This time it was clearer, and it appeared she was standing in the Farplane itself. But she knew she wasn't. At least… she prayed she wasn't. She couldn't be dead, after all this. After she'd found him again.

"Where am I?" She spoke aloud, surprised at how her voice echoed through the still air.

Something stirred in the darkness. She turned to face the nightmare creature. Recoiling she gasped as it unfolded its twisted wings and looked up at her. It was terrifying and sad all at the same time. She wanted to pity it, but she also wanted to run away from it.

It blinked its eyes at her, pools of silver baring no sign of a pupil of any kind. It made no movement save for kneeling into the grass, slowly as if it was trying hard to not alarm her. But with it's strange limbs, twisted wings, and strange form in general, every move it made seemed as if it were about to attack.

"What… are you?" Yuna finally said, her heart slowly returning to its normal pace as she gathered her emotions.

It blinked once, and then looked up to the Farplane's swirling mists above them. It opened its mouth, and a small scream emerged. Yuna winced, but the creature closed its mouth quickly and looked to the grass shamefully.

Frowning, Yuna peered closer at it. It wasn't trying to hurt her, in fact… it seemed different then it had ever before. It was no longer the screaming nightmare that devoured her mind.

"Who are you?" She asked quietly, correcting her question. The creature looked up at her slowly, its silver eyes slowly shifting color to a darker glow.

_'Help me.'_

"You're… the Fayth." Yuna sighed quietly, kneeling down to be eye level with the creature.

_'I didn't mean to hurt them.'_

"Where are you?"

_'Help me.'_ The eyes screamed to her, seeming to radiate a strange heat. Yuna sighed and slowly stood back up. It either couldn't understand her, or its mind was too driven into to the darkness to reply.

_'Yuna…' _A voice called softly, and she slowly turned to face a small hooded boy. She blinked in surprise. Bahamut.

"What's wrong?" She asked, frowning. His voice held the edge that he bore ill news.

_'We are losing the battle. The fiends are out of control. You have to help us. Our time is running out…'_ His voice sounded odd, strangled, as if it were forced.

"I'm trying to…" Her voice trailed off. The realization she was in the Farplane returned to her. She winced, and looked back down at him. "Am I…dead?"

He didn't say anything, and suddenly faded into the darkness. 

She didn't like the look of that at all. She turned back to the creature only to find it gone, in its place stood Jecht. He smiled at her a bit, and for a moment she was reminded of Tidus's smile, before he took a look of seriousness.

_'Get up! Your friends need your help.'_

She frowned. What did he mean? She wasn't dead? She wanted to say something, but she couldn't find any words.

_'Help them!'_

How could she help anyone if they kept ignoring her questions? Why did she have to be so important? She opened her mouth to speak when Jecht shook his head and disappeared.

"Sir Jecht?" She called, but there was no answer and everything was starting to fade away. She sighed and turned away, suddenly face to face with the creature.

It reached out a twisted hand full of claws to Yuna's face, barely touching her skin. The air around its hand seemed to be almost frozen, and it chilled her own skin. Its eyes looked so sad, she couldn't make herself look away.

_'Summoner. Wake up. Linger here no longer. Wake up.'_

She blinked. The thing almost sounded… sane? It blinked its huge eyes and drew away, taking the icy air with it. Was it the one who had brought her into this 'dream'? Somehow like the other Fayth she had managed to drag her here to speak with her? But to what point? She hadn't told her anything she hadn't known before.

_'WAKE UP.'_ The creature suddenly screamed, and Yuna recoiled in pain.

A jolt ran through her body suddenly as the Farplane suddenly melted away from her.

_'I'm not dead.'_ She thought slowly, then couldn't help but smile in relief. _'Wake up.'_ She thought again to herself, closing her eyes and forcing the thought through her mind. _'Wake up.'_

Suddenly a bright light erupted in front of her, and she opened eyes she didn't know had been closed.

Noise. Much too loud. Roaring of a fiend, a cry of pain.

A battle of some kind. It was all so blurry, and her head hurt so much. The thickness of the air was gone, she had left the dream.

Sitting up slowly, she forced herself to become more aware, and push away all the thoughts and questions that were lingering. They could wait. She had to help her friends, before she could help anyone else. The air in front of her seemed to swirl, and for a moment she felt dizzy. A high pitched whine suddenly exploded, and she clutched at her head in pain.

What was that?

Turning her head she looked over to where the sound was coming from. A huge fiend was towering over Tidus, Rikku, and Paine. From a large stone on its forehead, a beam of light was searing out towards them, and the whine seemed to travel with it.

No, not just any fiend.

Yuna stood up shakily, and reached for the guns at her sides. Yunalesca. Would she never be free of any of it? She felt angry, frustrated, and tired all at the same time. Enough was enough.

~~~~~~~  
  
"Any more brilliant ideas?" Rikku shouted at Tidus, over the roar of the fiend. Tidus glared right back at her, and watched as Paine scrambled out of the way of Yunalesca's tail.

"Let's see you come up with a better one!" He retorted, swallowing another potion.

"Anything's better then just standing here and letting her maul us!" The Al Bhed cried, squeaking as Yunalesca hissed in her direction.

"Last time I checked, there wasn't anything that could hurt her. What else are we supposed to do?" Tidus snapped, feeling quite irritated. His mind wasn't on the battle, or on Rikku's whining. He was too worried about Yuna.

"We could always run!" Rikku hissed, throwing a potion to Paine who barely caught it. 

"We're not leaving Yuna." Tidus growled, though he knew that Rikku felt the same way as he, she was just scared. They were losing. The fiend didn't seem to have any weakness, and she was enjoying a game of cat and mouse. She'd sit back and let them attack, only to bat them back with her tail or claws. But not hard enough to kill. She wanted them to suffer first.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was doing this on purpose." He muttered under his breath.

Yunalesca seemed to smile at him, mockingly, as she whipped her tail up and sent Rikku sprawling with a shriek.

"Paine, do something!" Rikku called with a groan from where she'd been tossed, clutching at a bloody cut on her arm.

Gritting her teeth, Paine swept her sword up and across the fiend's scales. It had no effect. "I'm trying." She snapped, as she tried to dodge a tail swipe. "She's stronger then last time. She's just like the other fiends."

"She's got to have some weakness!" Tidus snapped, watching as the fiend reared up onto her tail and looked down at the three of them with a wicked grin.

"If she does, I haven't found it." Just as Paine spoke, the jewel on Yunalesca's head began to glow.

"I don't like the look of that." Tidus said quietly, as the air suddenly went very silent and the jewel began to grow brighter.

"No…" Rikku groaned, covered her head with her hands.

Apparently it was no news to Paine or Rikku, as they both began to shield themselves in any way possible. The jewel grew brighter and brighter, and suddenly the air began to vibrate around them. 

An idea suddenly came to Tidus's mind, as he watched the fiend's head sway from side to side. A painful whine began to fill the air, but he forced himself to ignore it. The jewel. That had to be it. She always moved too fast for them to reach it, and always kept it out of range.

"That's the weakness!" He shouted, just as the air exploded in a painful burst of whining and colors.

"Some weakness." Rikku managed, as a searing ray of light burst from the jewel and hit Paine directly in the chest, sending the warrior crashing into the wall behind her. Before Tidus could even move the ray hit him too, and his whole body screamed in pain, the air torn from his lungs. Within an instant the ray had hit Rikku as well, and the young girl screeched in agony.

As the light slowly began to fade, Yunalesca slithered closer, looking quite pleased with herself as she looked down at her fallen prey. Tidus could barely breathe, let alone stand. He looked up at the fiend and felt a dull panic begin to enter his mind.

A shot rang through the air, and a half a second later, a scream of rage and pain from Yunalesca. Before the echo had even faded from the first shot, another rang out. Then another, and another, until the air was filled with the sound of gunfire and Yunalesca's cries. The fiend swung backwards, trying in vain to shield the jewel on her head with her claws, as the shots hit it directly. But the claws were meant for cleaving, not shielding. They proved useless against the shots and soon she appeared to be weakening. 

Pulling himself up, Tidus looked over to see Yuna standing shakily, firing her guns without pause into the fiend. She looked deathly pale, and quite angry. She looked as though she was in pain, but forcing herself to ignore it.

_'Yuna…'_ He struggled up, filled with a new energy and the knowledge that she really wasn't dead. How had he let himself even think that?

Rikku and Paine slowly stood up as a well, though Rikku a lot slower then any of them. She looked to be in bad shape, though the appearance of Yuna seemed to brighten her spirits.

"Yunie!" Rikku shouted over the firing, but Yuna didn't move to look at them. Her eyes were locked onto Yunalesca's withering form, as she fired round after round into the fiend's head.

The fiend fell back until it was finally on the ground, unable to move its arms or even scream in pain. As the fire suddenly stopped, she withered on the floor, hissing and seething at all of them. Her fury was not as terrifying as it had been when she'd been attacking them. Now it seemed pitiful.

"Finish it." Paine hissed, helping Rikku up as the girl stumbled to her knees.

Without hesitation, Tidus drew his sword and strode over to the fiend. For a moment he looked down at it, and Yunalesca's eyes seemed to burn out at him, full of madness and hatred.

"See ya." He smiled in spite of himself, and brought the sword down on the jewel with a swift movement of his wrist. The jewel shattered underneath the blade, and Yunalesca let out one last tortured cry. Then she sank into the floor, and her body seemed to slowly fade into the darkness. A few pyreflies emerged from her, then drifted away into the air.

A thud dragged Tidus's eyes away from the fiend's remains to behind him. Yuna had fallen to the floor. Dropping Brotherhood he ran over to her before the others could, and knelt down at her side.

Her eyes were closed, but she was awake. Gently he took her head and cradled it in his lap, wanting to suddenly be back in Besaid, away from all this darkness and nightmares.

"Yuna? Are you alright?" He asked, though no doubt she would have known his concern even if he hadn't said anything. His face was probably so full of worry and panic she could easily tell without even looking.

She nodded slightly, her eyes still closed. As he held her, he could feel her shaking a little. As if something was fighting inside of her. He could almost hear the screams that were assailing her mind. He felt angry and helpless at the same time. Why couldn't he do anything to help her?

"I want to go home." She mumbled quietly into his chest, and he just held her tighter. 

"Me too." 

"Yunie? Are you okay?" Rikku flung herself to her knees and grabbed Yuna's hand, shaking it a little as tears ran down her face. Though the girl was wounded, she seemed more concerned about Yuna then herself. "We were so worried!"

Yuna's eyes flickered open, an orb of water blue and one of forest green. Her gaze caught Tidus's for a moment, then slowly went to Rikku.

"I'm fine." She said slowly, as if the words were awkward on her tongue. "We have to… go… find the spheres." Feeling her struggle to stand, Tidus quickly rose to his feet and helped her up. She was shaking as she reached out for his hand, and held herself steady. "Where's Yunalesca's body?" She blinked, looking around in the murky darkness.

Paine, looking surprisingly relieved, shrugged. "It disappeared."

"Maybe she's dead for good this time." Rikku sniffed, hugging Yuna's other arm tightly.

"I doubt it." Paine snorted with a sigh. "But I don't want to sit around and find out. Let's go, there's a passage leading down up ahead. It appears we may have found what we've been looking for."

"Down?" Rikku cried, looking horrified. "You mean we're still going down?"

Paine sighed loudly. "Rikku, we don't have any choice. This is the only way to go. Besides, the room seems different from the others."

Rikku stood silently, looking quite dismayed and frightened. She was clearly getting at the end of her patience for this place, and Tidus couldn't blame her. Even Yuna looked exhausted, though she seemed to be trying to hide it.

"Come on." He smiled, pulling her gently with him as he walked after Paine. She gave a faint smile back, squeezing his hand, then pulling Rikku along behind her with her other hand.

~~~~~~~~  
AN: One more chapter after this with the Underground, for those wondering, so don't worry that they'll be stuck there for ever and ever and ever. Next chapter should be up in a week or so. 


	13. Chapter 12 Shards of the Past

AughAughAughAughAugh. IknowIamlateIknowIamlate. *collapses* Busy time of year for me. 

Wasn't on purpose. Never is on purpose. Inspiration and writing for me cannot be forced, it has to flow otherwise my work will come out looking like hell. -_-

But anyway. I got inspired for this, and it's longer than the last few chapters I've done. To make up for being late. Sorry guys.

As usual, I don't own FFX or FFX-2. 

Here's Chappy 12. Enjoy. And PLEASE comment. It's really nice to know people are reading this. Keeps me driven to write more.

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Chapter 12

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"Do these stairs ever end?" Rikku sighed, sounding exasperated and fed up. Paine grunted something, shaking her head wearily, and Yuna just forced herself to ignore it. She was getting really tired of the whole thing. She loved her cousin, but Rikku's constant complaints were beginning to-

"Here we are." Paine said softly, stepping off the steep stairs and onto the level floor below. Rikku muttered something to herself and hopped down, rubbing her legs and groaning.

"Now where are we?" Tidus frowned, looking around the rather dark hall they found themselves in.

"Underground." Paine snorted quietly, and Yuna almost smiled at the attempt of sarcasm from the usually subdued warrior.

Tidus rolled his eyes. "Yeah, thanks, Paine. That really helps."

She shrugged and her tired looking face hinted at the faintest of smiles.

"This doesn't look like the other halls." Yuna said quietly, noting that it was much narrower, and much darker, than the other halls they had encountered. There was a strange absence of fog as well, but Yuna couldn't decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing. A pyrefly flickered by silently. It wasn't completely unusual, then.

"Well, come on." Without waiting for the others, she started forward. She just wanted to get it over with. Maybe they'd finally come to what they were looking for. Maybe it wasn't the bottom of the underground, but it certainly was something apart from the normal labyrinth.

Rikku followed closely behind, though the Al Bhed didn't seem to want to comment. She was looking more tired by the minute. _'How long have we been down here? It feels like days.'_ Yuna thought wearily, forcing her legs to move forward. Her head hurt, but she chose to not pay attention. They'd be out soon. Soon.

"Yuna, wait up." Tidus called from behind, and Yuna stopped to turn around. He was standing close behind her, next to Rikku, but he seemed to be referring to Paine. The warrior was lagging behind, but not in the usual sort of way where she was on guard. Paine, seeing them all staring at her, straightened, and tried to hide the obvious limp.

"Paine? What's wrong?" Rikku chattered, looking as if she was going to panic.

"Nothing." Paine grunted, catching up with them and wincing. "Just a flesh wound."

Yuna blinked. The 'flesh wound', as Paine seemed to call it, appeared to be a very large and deep cut in her right leg. It had cut straight through the thin leather and into the skin. It wasn't deep, but it certainly looked as though it hurt. And on further inspection… it looked almost poisoned. "Paine, we have to take care of that." 

Paine shook her head. "I'm out of potions, we all are. I'll be fine." Yuna paused. She was about to reach for her white mage sphere, when Paine shook her head again and stepped away.

"No, Yuna. You're too tired. We still have to get back to the surface. I'll be fine for now. Save your magic for when we need it."

Yuna wanted to argue, but Paine was already walking away down the hall. She was stubborn, and she was hurting. Though she needed the healing, Yuna considered the statement. She was right. They still had to get back up, and if Yuna used the rest of her energy healing a wound that could wait till they got back to the Celsius, the journey might be a lot harder.

She felt terrible seeing the warrior in pain, but she forced herself to think that Paine was right. She'd be okay. They'd get back to the surface and it'd all be taken care of.

She was getting really tired of having to tell herself that it'd be okay.

"Come on, Yunie!" Rikku attempted a bounce, but seemed too tired to carry it out. She started to follow Paine, a very evident look of worry on her face.

"Coming." Yuna sighed softly, wondering faintly how she was keeping up. 

_'Sin was harder then this… Why is this so difficult all of a sudden?'_ She thought silently as she began to walk after the two, Tidus walking beside her and being oddly silent. Maybe he was tired too.

Yuna felt as if something in the back of her mind was dragging her downwards, as if the headache wasn't only causing pain, but also a strange sort of fatigue. Whatever it was, she didn't like it. Sin had been much harder, and she'd been much weaker then. And she'd pulled through. Now she felt weaker then she ever had, and ready to sleep for a thousand years.

A cry of surprise from ahead of them pulled her out of her thoughts. It sounded like Rikku. Before she knew what she was doing she was running, somehow, running down the hallway. Tidus was right beside her, and looking as though he thought she was going to collapse at any moment. 'Do I really look that tired?' She thought mindlessly as the walls whizzed past.

"What's wrong?" She shouted, as she came to a halt at the end of the hall. It opened up into a large room that seemed very much in the style of the hall, only a little brighter. Rikku stood motionless in the center of the room, looking as though she'd seen a ghost. Paine was a little ways ahead, strangely motionless as well.

"What's…" Yuna's voice trailed off as she looked to Rikku's gaze. All words were swept away from her mind, and she could only stand in quiet shock at what lay below them on the floor.

Hope inside of her faded away, and she felt even worse then she had before. 

She'd been hoping to find some trace of the spheres Trema had taken, but she'd never expected anything like this. Nor had she realized how many spheres Trema had gathered.

The room was small, perhaps no bigger then the Celsius's bridge, and it was piled high with shards of colored glass. No. Not glass. Spheres. Thousands and thousands of broken spheres.

She stared in silence, unable to find anything to say. She'd known they would probably find only broken remains, but so many… He had destroyed so many. Her mind reeled. How many memories, historical events, stories, recordings, had been lost? Why had he done it? Why so many? There were no answers, only the dumb horror of it all. One man had destroyed thousands of years of Spira's past.

"Is there… anything we can use?" Tidus finally spoke, looking over to Yuna as she stared down at the shards. She almost didn't catch his words; she was so caught up in staring at the destruction that lay before her.

She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. 

Rikku slowly turned around, looking at all the shards and in her eyes seemed to be tears. The destruction was over whelming. They had been so happy to find the few spheres they had been able to, and now, looking at the thousands of broken spheres, it seemed… meaningless.

"I… I don't know." Yuna finally managed, her voice barely a whisper. She couldn't take her eyes away from the shards. Everything seemed so far away.

"We better start looking. Maybe some… are still viewable." Paine's voice broke through Yuna's haze, and the warrior began to sift through the broken shards carefully. Yuna managed to pull herself away from the shards, and looked up at Tidus who was still watching her.

His look was supportive, and somehow it gave her that little bit of strength she needed. She nodded slightly, and crouched down, looking down at a rather large pile of shards that lay beside her. She could hear him move to the other side of the room, and too, begin to search.

"Come on, Rikku." Paine called softly, and finally the Al Bhed seemed to snap out of her daze. She looked as though she wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words, or the strength.

"But…" Her voice was quiet and subdued. Not the usual kind of voice Yuna was used to hearing her cousin use. The Al Bhed stopped, and shook her head, rubbing her eyes with her hands quietly. There wasn't anything anyone could do now. They had to move on.

Yuna sighed and sifted through the colorful shards. Everything was ruined beyond repair, even if they could find the right pieces to each sphere, they wouldn't be able to view it. The shards were too cracked, too small. It was fine when a sphere was broken in two, or even three, and all the pieces were large and easily put back together. But when tiny fractions of the sphere were cracked and loose, nothing in Spira would make them whole again.

But, maybe they were not all broken so badly. She had to keep hope. Even though she knew that the chances of them finding the clue they needed in a partially whole sphere were slim at best. These spheres were probably from all around Spira, not just Bevelle. What were the odds they'd find an insignificant sphere recording some event that might show them where some abandoned Fayth was?

Maybe she'd get lucky again. She'd been lucky so far. Yuna forced herself to keep up hope.

She picked up a small fragment of an orange sphere and rolled it in her hand. Too small. She placed it away from the large pile and began to move each cracked piece over to it. No point in looking at the same shard twice.

Minutes rolled by, and soon, it began to feel like hours. The pile was getting smaller, at an irritatingly slow pace. Yuna's hands were bleeding in a few places where she'd been careless with a shard and picked it up wrong. But it wasn't too bad. She had to keep looking. She had to find it.

Whatever 'it' was.

She looked over to see how the others were doing. Paine's pile wasn't much better then hers, and Rikku seemed to be having a hard time picking shards up without cutting herself.

Yuna commanded herself not to go over and heal her cousin. She had to save her energy. Rikku wasn't complaining, maybe she knew that there was no point and it wouldn't help any of them.

_'I hate this place.'_ Yuna thought mutely as she looked around the room. Not only was it filled with dangerous fiends and tormented spirits, but to top it off, all the history of Spira had been destroyed in its depths. She'd have to talk to Baralai about sealing this place off one day. It was a surprise and perhaps a miracle no fiends had come out and attacked the city yet.

_'What I'd give for a breath of fresh air…' _Rearranging her aching legs so she was sitting in a more comfortable position, Yuna looked over behind her to where Tidus was carefully picking through the shards. He looked tired, but still moved with a usual energetic flow. She wondered how he managed to do it. To keep going and going. Maybe it was all the Blitzball. He was moving through the pile faster then anyone else, looking quite determined to find whatever they were looking for and get back up to the surface.

She didn't blame him at all. Turning back around, she began to sift through the pile again. Orange, blue, yellow, green, red, purple. So many colors. So many spheres.

_'Don't think about it.'_ She hissed at herself. It wasn't going to help.

"Hey! I think I found something!" Rikku suddenly shouted, and there was a scramble as everyone turned away from their respective piles and went over to where Rikku stood. In her hands she held three shards, rather large in size, and all the same color.

"Great. Let's see it." Paine blinked, looking as though she were trying to ignore the throbbing pain of her leg.

"Here goes." Rikku breathed quietly, pressing all three shards together. At first, there was nothing. For a moment Yuna worried that a piece was missing, or they were unrelated. Just as she was about to say something, the shards began to glow.

The image was blurry, but seemed intact. Yuna held her breath as she squinted for a closer look.

The sound was a static buzz, but the image began to clear somewhat. It was… in Bevelle. Yuna felt her heart quicken. It couldn't possibly…

The sound came on with a sharp crackle. 

"Then we are in agreement." A man's voice spoke, apparently off the sphere's 'screen'.

"Yes." A chorus of voices replied, and the image moved from a barren wall marked with emblems of Yevon, to a large gathering of priests. Yuna recognized the place straight away. It was the same place where she had been 'judged' for her crimes during her pilgrimage. Not pleasant memories.

The sphere turned to a young man who stood on the trail platform. He looked frightened and upset. "But I've done nothing-"

"You have tried to keep a summoner from his pilgrimage. There is no question to whether you are guilty or not. Do you wish to see Sin destroy Spira?" The priest accused, frowning.

"Of course not! But why should the summoners have to die?" The man argued, looking at wits end and as if they were all crazy. The priest said nothing, waving his hand. Two guards came up, and grabbed the man roughly, dragging him off.

"This trial is closed." The priest said, looking at the sphere, and it suddenly blinked off.

Yuna tried to remember to breathe, but it wasn't easy.

"Well… that's not it." Paine finally broke the silence, and Rikku shot her a glare, then looked back to Yuna.

"Yunie…?" 

Yuna swallowed. "Let's keep looking."

Walking back to her pile, she tried to put the sphere's contents out of her mind. Sin was gone now, and so was Yevon. But she still couldn't help but remember it all. Her training, her pilgrimage, her blind devotion… and how someone had come up and said those very same words the man had said.

"Yuna?" Tidus said softly, crouching down beside her and looking rather concerned.

"I'm fine." She spoke softly, staring down at the shards below her. "It's over now."

He didn't seem to want to press the matter any further. There wasn't much more to say about it, they'd both been in that situation. They'd both fought through it, and… they'd won. Wasn't that what was important? Despite that thought, Yuna couldn't help but still feel that hopelessness and despair, when she'd found out the truth. When she'd thrown all her beliefs away and fought against something that had been going on for so many years.

"Your hands…" Tidus spoke quietly, taking one of Yuna's hands and holding it gently. She looked down and finally noticed in detail the cuts that covered them. He frowned. "I'll do it." She opened her mouth to protest but he seemed to ignore her. Sitting down beside her, he began to file through the shards that sat before them.

"But it'd be faster if we both did it…" She protested quietly, really not having the strength to argue but feeling she had to anyway.

He smiled at her. "It'll be fine. I'm faster anyway." He grinned at the last part, and in spite of herself she mock glared at him.

"Oh really?"

He grinned wider and then turned back to the shards, carefully picking through them with his gloves. Though she kept the air of acting as though she was insulted, she had to admit he was faster. Then she smiled. Despite all the pain and how tired she was, he was still able to make her smile and feel almost playful. It was nice. She didn't feel alone anymore.

She watched him mutely, feeling useless but knowing if she tried to help he wouldn't let her. The shards whipped by so fast, after a while she found it hard to tell what color they were. But then, it didn't matter, really.

In spite of herself, she felt her eyes beginning to grow suddenly quite heavy. She yawned a little, and blinked. The shards were all of a sudden quite blurry. Rubbing her eyes gently, she mentally slapped herself. Not the time to sleep. She could do that when they got back. Everyone else was doing okay, she should be too.

"Yuna." Tidus's voice snapped her out of her haze and she blinked rapidly, bringing her eyes slowly into focus. He held up a rather large hunk of sphere, that didn't appear to have any cracks in it at all.

"Is there another half?" She looked down at the pile. It was impossible to tell from just looking.

"I'm looking." He handed her the shard, then went back to sifting through the pile. Yuna watched for a moment, but seeing nothing, looked over instead to Paine and Rikku. Both were crouched over their separate piles and hurriedly sifting through. They didn't appear to have found anything, and Rikku looked as though at any moment she'd fall asleep. 

Yuna looked back at the shards. She reached forward and began to push the shards aside, looking for that blue tint. It had to be there.

"You-" Tidus started, but Yuna shook her head firmly.

"I have to."

Maybe it was that voice that everyone said she had sometimes. That commanding, yet calm voice that made everyone go silent and listen. Tidus didn't argue, but he didn't stop looking worried. 

Ignoring her bleeding hands, she kept looking. She just wanted to get out of here. The faster they got through the piles, the sooner they'd get home. She hoped.

~~~~~~~~~~

Tidus sighed as Yuna winced for perhaps the tenth time that hour. She'd cut herself, again. And there was nothing he could do that would make her stop. She was determined to keep looking, bleeding hands or not. He admired her determination; she hadn't lost that in two years. But, he couldn't help but be worried. She was pushing herself too hard; the strain was starting to show on her usually relaxed face.

_'Hasn't she been through enough yet?'_ He thought silently, as if asking Fate.

They'd found the other piece to the sphere he'd found earlier, but it had turned out to be another useless sphere. Well, maybe not useless, but to them, it was. He was sure though that someone in Bevelle would be interested in seeing the wedding between Yunalesca and Zion. But he sure wasn't.

Yuna hadn't been either. He figured that she was probably starting to get quite tired of Yunalesca popping up everywhere. But then, the woman had been immensely important to Sin and Yevon, and, well, Spira itself. It wasn't really surprising they kept running into her. Up until two or so years ago, she'd still been hanging around. If you called being a dead spirit wandering a broken city hanging around.

He groaned and straightened his back. This was getting old fast. They'd been sitting for hours, looking through pile after pile of broken shards. Nothing. Out of all they had seen, they had found only two spheres that had been viewable. Tidus knew they were looking for something that they'd never find, but he didn't want to say it aloud. Yuna knew it. She just didn't want to face it. And he didn't want her to have to until all chances were gone.

Rikku however, seemed to be sure they'd find something. Every once and a while she'd find a shard she thought was connected to another, and call them all over. None of the shards ever worked, but she didn't seem too dismayed. She kept forcing herself on. They all did.

But they couldn't go on forever. Yuna looked as if she was going to collapse at any moment, Rikku appeared nearly the same, and Paine's leg was becoming infected. And him, well… He was getting awfully sick of the whole underground nightmare. But mostly, he just wanted Yuna back up on the surface, where she could rest.

No rest until they solved the problem though. He sighed aloud again. When this was over, he was seriously going to consider running off with Yuna to get away from everything and anybody. It might be the only way they ever got some peace and quiet and time to actually rest, let alone talk.

He figured Yuna probably wouldn't argue with that either.

"Anything?" Paine called over suddenly, shakily standing up and walking away from a pile she had just finished.

"We would have said." Tidus sighed, shaking his head. Paine didn't answer, but went over to another pile and sat down, wincing as she did.

"This is hopeless." Yuna sighed quietly, barely whispering, beside him.

"Don't say that. Don't give up, Yuna.'

She closed her eyes, and a small inner battle was fought. When she reopened her eyes, the little bit of strength had returned. "I'm sorry."

He smiled and took her hand, squeezing it gently. "No prob." He really couldn't blame her. She'd been holding out so long, most people would have collapsed already and given up. But not Yuna. And while he was around, even when she hit her limit, he'd help her keep going.

"What's that?" Yuna asked suddenly, her eyes widening as she reached for a fragment. It seemed to be just a regular, purple shard. Just like the others. But as he looked closer, he noticed it wasn't like the others at all. It was perfectly smooth, and it hadn't been shattered. It'd been cut. Cut in half like a round fruit of some kind. He frowned. That wasn't anything like what they'd seen.

"This is… older." She said softly, running her thumb across the sphere's smooth contour.

"What did you find?" Rikku asked, coming up behind them.

"Trema didn't break this one." Yuna tilted her head to one side.

"How do you know what?" Paine asked, from across the room..

"He shattered them all. This has been… sliced in half." She turned the sphere half over in her hand. "And the cut looks old."

Tidus had no idea how she could tell, but he presumed she'd been hunting spheres for long enough she'd know that sort of thing.

"Is it viewable?" Rikku asked, frowning as she leaned over closer to see.

"Maybe." Yuna frowned. "But we might need the other half."

Tidus looked back at the pile. "Well… let's get started."

With the four of them, the pile didn't last long. 

He couldn't help but feel disappointed as the reached the bottom, and found no trace of any other sphere half. He hadn't really expected them to find it so easily, but he'd sure hoped they would.

Yuna however, was not to be put off. She seemed convinced that the sphere was what they were looking for, and silently she stood and moved onto the next pile. Rikku and Paine followed suit, until they all had their own piles again and were hastily sifting through them.

Tidus sighed as he watched Yuna drag large handfuls of shards out of her way as she dug through the mess, searching. She was really going to make a mess of her hands that way. He got up and walked over, sitting down beside her again and shaking his head.

"Yuna, stop." She didn't listen to him, she just kept digging. She was being driven by her unstoppable will again, and even he wasn't going to talk sense into her.

"It doesn't matter." She muttered, shoving another pile out of her way and wincing slightly.

It mattered to him.

He too began to sift through the pile, searching for that right shade. That right shape. He ignored the fear in his mind that the half a sphere was a total fluke and they wouldn't find the other half.

"Guys…" Paine's voice called across the room, and Tidus stopped to look over at the warrior. She was holding a half a sphere in her hand. A sphere that'd been cut in half.

Yuna was up on her feet faster then Tidus thought was possible. He scrambled after her as she and Rikku made for Paine. 

"That's it!" Yuna exclaimed almost happily, sounding relieved but still unsure. They had no idea if it'd be just another useless sphere or what they were looking for. The odds of it being what they were looking for…

"Let's see it then!" Rikku grabbed the two pieces from Paine and Yuna, and stuck them together.

There was a low buzz, then the sphere began to glow just as the others hand. Yuna let out a breath that Tidus translated into a sigh of relief.

The image blinked on, but the sound continued its low buzz.

"The sound's broken." Rikku sighed loudly, hanging her head.

Tidus squinted and looked closer.

_'Unbelievable.'_

Yunalesca stood in what appeared to be the inner room of a Temple. She was talking to someone, though the person appeared to be off screen. Her face was twisted into a smile, though something in her eyes only held malice and anger. It appeared that whatever she was saying, it wasn't happy things.

_'Why is it ALWAYS her?'_ He thought grimly, as the sphere continued on. It wasn't very interesting, but as Tidus looked closer, he noticed something. He'd never seen that temple before. Not that he was an expert in the temples of Spira, but it seemed quite… different then the ones he had seen.

Yuna's eyes were locked on the sphere, as if under some spell.

"Where is that?" Paine asked, frowning.

"Which temple is it, Yunie?" Rikku asked, also looking to Yuna.

There was pause as Yuna squinted at the sphere. There wasn't much to look at, besides Yunalesca talking and the temple walls behind her. But…

"Isn't that snow?" Tidus whispered, blinking in surprise. 

"Wha?" Rikku looked at him funny, then back at the sphere.

"On the floor, behind Yunalesca." 

Rikku cried out in surprise. "Hey! You're right! Then it must be the Macalania temple!"

Yuna slowly shook her head.

"No."

Yunalesca suddenly turned towards the sphere, a strange smile on her face. She reached towards the screen, then it suddenly blinked out. The end of the recording. It hadn't made any sense at all. Though, Tidus guessed it would have been a lot easier to understand if they'd been able to hear.

"Yunie?" Rikku asked quietly, looking over to her cousin's face.

Yuna slowly looked away from the sphere, to the ground. She looked deep in thought, as if she was trying to remember something.

"I haven't… seen that temple before."

"But you went to all the temples, didn't you?" Paine frowned, looking up from the now dull sphere as well.

Yuna nodded, then looked back up at them. "I did. Or… I thought I did. This temple… I don't think anyone's seen before."

"What makes you say that?" The warrior asked, tilting her head.

"I… just know." Yuna blinked and was silent for a long, uncomfortable moment. Tidus was just about to speak when she suddenly seemed to snap back again into the present.

"That's where it is. The Fayth. We have to go there."

"But where's there?" Rikku cried, flopping her hands to her sides in agitation.

"Mount Gagazet," Yuna whispered softly, slowly standing up.

"How do you know?" Paine struggled up as well, her leg looking even worse then it had before.

"Lemme guess, you just know." Rikku sighed, but Yuna shook her head.

"It wasn't Macalania, but it had snow. Mount Gagazet is the only other place in Spira that has snow, and… There were rumors, now that I remember, that a Fayth was supposed to be on Mount Gagazet. The last Aeon before the Final Aeon. Well, I guess they were more legends. Nobody ever knew of one besides the Stolen Fayth, but that wasn't anywhere near the snow." She went silent, as if thinking again.

"But all the other Fayth were on Mount Gagazet. Why would they have an Aeon there too?" Rikku blinked, looking quite confused.

Yuna shrugged slightly. "I don't know. But… that's where we have to go."

"Well then, let's get the heck out of here!" Tidus almost shouted before Rikku could open her mouth to protest or question one more time. That seemed to break Yuna out of her thoughts. She looked over to Tidus and grinned a bit.

"Yeah, let's get out of here. Are you okay, Paine?" She asked, a sudden worry on her face as Paine struggled to straighten.

"I told you, I'm fine." The warrior snarled, avoiding everyone's eyes and heading towards the hallway where they'd come. "There should be an elevator nearby. Maybe back up where we fell."

Nobody said anything. Nothing needed to be said. Rikku followed closely behind Paine, and Yuna right behind her. Tidus found himself yet again bringing up the rear. He saw Yuna give one last look back into the room, where all the shards lay. She looked terribly sad for a moment, then her face cleared and she forced a small smile. He smiled back, but he knew it wasn't going to help much.

After an eventful few minutes of walking and climbing up the long series of stairs, they found themselves once more in the huge, dark hall. 

"Which way?" Tidus asked, looking around and trying to make out any kind of sign that an elevator platform was nearby.

Paine slowly turned in a circle, frowning. "We came this way. We go that way." She said after a moment, pointing down the other side of the hall. Yuna nodded silently, and started in that direction.

_'Something's wrong.'_ Tidus stopped in his tracks and looked around. It seemed… awfully quiet. And the feel in the air was even more tense and eerie then ever before. Almost like when the Tonberries had appeared, but… more intense.

"Uh… guys?"

Rikku turned to look at him with a frown. "Hurry up, Tidus!"

He blinked and found himself walking forward. Keep moving, yeah, that was probably a good idea. Maybe it wasn't anything. Maybe he was just tired.

Or maybe-

There was a loud crash, and the entire hall shook.

_'Or maybe I'm actually right for once.'_

~~~~~~~~~~

'Not again.' Yuna sighed aloud as the huge creature dropped from the ceiling, and swept her curving arms upwards in preparation to attack.

"Her again?!" Rikku cried, jumping backwards in surprise.

"They don't know when to die." Paine snarled, drawing her sword.

Yunalesca looked almost pleased with herself. Sweeping her claws up in curving arcs, she screeched at them and shook her head. This time, she was guarding it with her tail.

"What are we going to do, Yunie?" Rikku chattered, grabbing Yuna's arm and shaking it. They were all too tired to go through a battle like that again. She squinted and looked past Yunalesca's body. Though it was hard to make out, there was definitely an elevator down at the end of the hall. Their way out.

Yunalesca seemed to realize this too, and was looking even smugger then before, growling and hissing and snapping her fangs at them.

"Do that thing again, Yunie!" Rikku continued, looking from Yuna to the fiend. "When you shot its jewel!"

Yuna looked at her guns, then at the tail that was protecting the fiends head. She'd never get a clear shot. And even if she did, she doubted it would stop her this time.

"Any ideas?" Paine hissed, as Yunalesca began to slither forward, hissing and waving her scythe like arms.

"Yeah." Yuna said, ignoring the argument forming in her mind. She should stand and fight. End this whole thing right here and now. But… she was sick of it. Let Yunalesca haunt her halls. She'd never be able to get up to the surface.

"Run."

Everyone save Tidus looked at her in surprise. "Run?" Rikku repeated, staring at her cousin blankly. "But she'll-"

Tidus shook his head and cut her off. "Yuna said run, so we run. If we keep to the sides and go fast, maybe she won't realize what we're doing until we've on the other side."

Yunalesca was looking at each of them, but she didn't seem to make any reaction. Maybe she couldn't understand them.

"Then let's do it." Paine growled, staring up at Yunalesca. "At the count of three."

"One," Paine slowly sheathed her sword and Rikku looked incredibly nervous but seemed to tense up as if to get ready.

"Two," Yuna slowly edged forward, as close to the fiend as she dared. She was still out of striking range, she hoped.

"Three!" Paine shouted, and all four of them started into a dead run, heading for the small gap that lay between the wall and Yunalesca. The fiend wasn't fast enough in reaction. She stared at them blankly for a split second, then screamed in rage. By that time, Yuna was already on the other side, closely followed by Tidus and Rikku.

Yunalesca spun around as fast as her limbs could take her, and roared in fury. The entire room seemed to shake, and then Yuna caught sight of Paine. The warrior was lagging behind. She was barely running, and limping quite badly. She was close to Yunalesca's claws. Way too close.

"PAINE!" Rikku shouted, diving forward before anyone else could react, and grabbed the warrior by the arm. She threw the woman's arm over her shoulders, and just as Yunalesca swung her long scythe of an arm, managed to drag her out of range.

That bought them a few seconds. Tidus rushed over to help Rikku support Paine, and the three of them started backwards towards the elevator as fast as they could.

Yuna stood in the middle of the hall, feeling Yunalesca staring down at her in fury.

"Yunie, come on!" Rikku managed, gasping for air and somehow struggling on down the hall.

She had to buy them time to get to the elevator, if she ran with them, Yunalesca would be on top of them. She ignored her cousin, for the moment. Her eyes were locked on Yunalesca, keeping track of her limbs and her eyes. The fiend was silent, but looking as though she was preparing herself for something.

How long did she have to wait?

She slowly pulled out her guns, trying to calm her pounding heart.

"Yuna!" Tidus shouted somewhere behind her, and she heard the sound of running footsteps. Yunalesca swung.

Yuna jumped backwards, narrowly missing the blades, and began shooting towards the fiend's head. All the shots were reflected harmlessly off of the fiend's tail, but it bought her another second. While Yunalesca was guarding her face with her tail and her arms, Yuna ran backwards as fast as she dared. Chancing a look behind her, she saw the others were safely on the elevator, and Tidus was heading her way.

"Rikku, get that elevator running!" Yuna shouted behind her, as her eyes locked back onto Yunalesca who had recovered and was moving forward once more.

There was no reply, but Yuna knew her cousin wasn't wasting any time. If anyone could get it running, an Al Bhed could.

Tidus skidded to a stop beside Yuna and held up Brotherhood.

"Let's keep her busy." He grinned sideways at Yuna, but kept his eyes locked on the fiend.

She nodded, and reloaded her guns. For a moment, she thought of how nice it was. Even though she was so tired, and even though they were fighting for their lives again against fiends, she was standing next to him. Standing beside him in battle, together.

Smiling in spite of everything, she aimed her guns and fired away while Tidus kept Yunalesca's claws back with Brotherhood. Though they didn't seem to be hurting Yunalesca, they were sure keeping her busy. Her claws were busy trying to bat Tidus away, while her tail and her head were occupied keeping herself protected. It was impossible for her to move without her tail and her claws.

Soon, they had an easy system worked out. Tidus would strike, and Yuna would fire. Yunalesca wasn't able to get one hit in edgewise, and was getting more and more agitated. Yuna knew that they couldn't keep it up forever, they'd get tired, and eventually they'd slip. But they didn't need forever.

"How's it going?" She shouted behind her, never taking her eyes off the fiend.

"I think I've got it! Come on!" Rikku shouted back, her voice frantic and concerned. Yuna nodded to Tidus, and the two of them began to back up slowly, then increase their pace. Yunalesca, seeming still in a daze from the never ending assault, took too long to realize they were backing off. When she finally did seem to realize it, they were halfway to the elevator.

Hissing in fury, the fiend launched herself forward at a terrible speed, coming down the hall towards them like an unstoppable rockslide. Yuna swallowed her fear and turned around to run. There was the elevator. So close. She pushed herself to the limit, made herself ignore all the pain in her burning limbs, and dived for the elevator.

She made it, and just about crashed into Paine who was sitting in the center, looking quite ill. Tidus ran into Yuna from behind but she barely noticed.

"Rikku, go!" She cried, looking behind to see the fiend only a few meters away. Rikku didn't need any encouragement, she'd hit the button as soon as they'd gotten onto the platform. Already it was beginning to rise, though too slow for Yuna's liking.

"Can't this thing go any faster?" Tidus asked, pulling Yuna away from the edge of the elevator and back to the side which sat against the wall.

Rikku groaned. "I'm trying!"

Yunalesca dived forward, claws and tail poised to skewer all four of them.

Yuna saw the event in a kind of slow motion, and time seemed to skid to a halt.

The platform suddenly lurched, and Yunalesca dropped out of sight. Below they heard the rumble and crash as the fiend slammed into the wall where they had been only seconds before. Already, the elevator was lifting up into the shaft, and into the almost welcomed darkness of its safety.

They were safe.

Yuna let her breathe out with a loud sigh and collapsed on the platform. Below, the crashes and screams began to ebb away, until they were mere whispers.

"That was close." Paine grunted, pulling herself up and clenching her leg with her hands.

"But we made it." Tidus was grinning. Yuna couldn't understand how he could be grinning, after all that. But somehow, it made her want to grin too. And laugh. They'd been so close to dying, but they were still alive. They were going back to the surface. They had the clue they needed.

Everything was going to be fine.


	14. Chapter 13 Moment of Peace

OhmyGod I'm such a slow updater. Sorry guys… One of these days I'll get the hang of updating quickly. Long wait, short chapter. I'm really sorry, this week didn't go so well for me. Again. Though the chapter is short-ish, it's somewhat fluffy.

Hope this format is alright, me and the uploading program thing haven't been getting along lately. I'll try to make it easier to read next upload if it's a problem... see what I can do at least.

In reply to comments:

YuniX-2 -

The basilisk was not my idea, it came from FFX-2 itself. When in the underground of Bevelle in FFX-2, you DO 'meet' Yunalesca as a spirit, and she turns into the basilisk described. At least, that's the impression I got when I played that part. You defeat her, but after that she turns up as a random monster, so I thought it would be fitting to stick her in this. I'm glad you like the story and my writing… it's great to hear positive remarks. As for my updating, don't worry, I'll never go more then two-three weeks without updating. hides Well… two weeks. I'm not going to stop writing this, rest assured. If I don't update for months, it'll probably mean I'm dead or my computer exploded … and I really hope either of those don't happen.

Elle -

Your comment really cheered me up out of a uber bad day… thanks for sharing. I'm so glad my story has a positive effect. Andd you're welcome.

Neon-Ronin -

Glad it was inspiring. I'm always so happy to hear that I somehow helped someone with my writing… and don't say that your writing isn't half as good, everyone writes differently! And I like your story.

Thanks again to Golden Rose3 for being my beta and fixing things up.

Thank you ALL so much for the wonderful comments, it means soooo much to me. I see writing as my only 'talent' as it were… and when I hear people enjoy reading stuff I write, gives me a bit more hope in it all and my silly life in general. Thank you, and please don't stop. :)

FFX and FFX-2 don't belong to me, though I think I've mentioned that before…

Two last quickie notes – My mailbox was stuffed with viruses the other day, so I had to delete a bunch of stuff… if I accidentally zapped a real e-mail with all of them, please resend, preferably, with 'Fanfiction' somewhere in the title so I know it's real mail. Thankies.

Second – I'll be away for the next few days, so the next chapter might take a week or more to get finished. Sorry, school thing.

Enjoy, and please comment.

'

--- Chapter 13 ---

"YUNA!"

_'I'm really getting tired of hearing that.'_ Yuna sighed, as she pulled herself up and off the elevator. Brother was running towards her, looking horrified and alarmed at her no doubt exhausted state.

"I'm fine. But Paine's hurt…" She looked behind her, to the warrior. She was so pale, she looked almost white. The wound on her leg was oozing blood again and looked terribly infected. But even though they were out of danger, Yuna was in no shape to try and help her.

"We'll get her to the medical bay. She'll be good as new after a night's rest and a bit of patching up." Buddy attempted a smile, though he looked as though he'd been worrying as well. Now his face seemed to show relief, though because his eyes were hidden under thick goggles, it was hard to tell. He walked over to Paine, and with Rikku's help, got the pale warrior on her feet. Brother helped as well, and by the looks of it, was supporting Paine for Rikku. But Rikku refused to let go of Paine, looking as though it was her fault the warrior was wounded in the first place.

"I can walk." Paine hissed, but Rikku shook her head firmly.

"Don't be so tough! You can't walk and you know it." The Al Bhed berated, ignoring Paine's protests as she and Brother began to inch towards the chamber's exit.

Paine sighed, and underneath a growl, Yuna thought she heard a strangled 'thank you'.

"Phew." Yuna said aloud quietly, watching the four slowly leave the room, Paine looking as though she wanted to bite someone from both the pain she was in and the humiliation of being carried.

"My thoughts exactly." Tidus sighed, looking more tired then she'd ever seen him.

"I'm never going back down there again." She shuddered, not even daring to look behind her at the elevator. Twice was more then enough. If she never saw it again, it'd probably be too soon.

"Don't worry, you won't have to." He smiled encouragingly, and she attempted a smile back. "Yunalesca can stay down there with her fiends, and Trema, and whatever the heck else is down there." He added, a small glint of laughter sparking in his eyes. Or perhaps it was more relief then anything, giddy relief that they were out alive.

"Let's go." She smiled a bit more, feeling her legs wobble under her as she started to walk towards the doorway. Every moment she stayed awake, the more she felt like collapsing on the spot. She was almost worried she wouldn't make it to the Celsius.

As she walked, she felt a hand enclose on hers, pulling her gently along. She looked up at him, still smiling. No matter how tired, no matter how many battles she'd just fought, seeing him there beside her managed to cheer her up. And he seemed to look almost the same way at her.

But she knew she couldn't dwell on those thoughts yet, gently chiding herself. No matter how much she wanted to. She had to take care of this Fayth problem first, and now, she knew where to at least look. Soon it would be over, then she could relax and be happy.

Tidus seemed to notice the change of her thoughts, and his eyes looked worried.

"Yuna…" He said quietly, starting to frown. "Don't think about it right now. You deserve a break."

Yuna sighed, and looked ahead of them. They had entered the grand entrance hall of Bevelle. It was no welcome sight to her, she was glad they were leaving. No one was to be seen, not even the many priests who usually stood 'guard' over the area. How strange. She was almost starting to become concerned when ahead of them, Brother pushed open the doors to the outside.

It was night.

She blinked in surprise. They'd been down there… that long? No wonder Brother had seemed so worried… They'd been down there all day. Perhaps more.

It was with the realization of how much time had passed, that Yuna finally understood the pain in her stomach she'd been ignoring. She was hungry. Starving, at that.

"I sure hope you guys got dinner ready." She half smiled as Rikku passed Paine over to Brother and fell behind to where Yuna and Tidus were walking. Buddy grinned back at them, as they walked into the courtyard entrance to Bevelle.

"Don't worry, we've got everything out for you guys."

"Thanks, Buddy." Yuna smiled the best she could, as another yawn threatened to surface.

"I'm just going to hit the sack. I'm so tired." Rikku mumbled, her eyes half closed and looking as though she was having trouble picking up her feet to just keep moving.

"What about food?" Tidus tilted his head.

"That's what breakfast is for." The Al Bhed yawned widely, stumbling a bit as they began up the ramp of the Celsius.

"Suit yourself." Buddy shook his head with a grin, as Rikku broke off from the group and headed down towards the cabin. "You guys go on and eat, me and Brother will go take Paine to the medical bay."

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" Yuna asked, feeling almost useless, though she knew it was only because she was tired and her mind was starting to go blurry.

"Don't worry, we'll take care of her." Buddy kept on grinning, while Paine shot a dangerous look at both him and Brother.

"I don't need any help…" She muttered grimly. "I can take care of myself."

"Oh stop your boasting." Buddy chuckled, starting down another hallway, him and Brother still supporting the injured warrior. "Everybody needs help sometime. Learn to be gracious about it."

Paine went silent, but Yuna could see the warrior was thankful, her eyes showed it, even if her frown didn't.

"Well, let's go eat!" Tidus said rather enthusiastically, with more energy then Yuna felt she had in her. She yawned again and blinked blearily at him.

"Maybe Rikku's right…"

"No no no!" Tidus shook his head, and Yuna inwardly wondered where he'd suddenly got the energy from, as he grabbed her hand and pulled her down the hall. "Food first, then sleep!"

"But I'm so tired…" She wasn't one to complain, but she felt like she was going to collapse.

"You'll feel better, really! Whenever I finish a Blitzball game, and I'm really tired, I eat, and I just wake up completely!"

"I don't want to wake up…" She muttered, swallowing another yawn with her hand as they entered the elevator. As she blinked the yawn away she looked over to Tidus, who was, though looking quite tired, grinning from ear to ear. "Aren't you tired?" She asked, frowning.

"Yeah, but, we did it!"

"Did it?" She blinked. She really must be tired. "Oh. The sphere. Yes… I'm happy too." Another yawn. She really did feel happy, and relieved. But he looked positively giddy. With a small smile, she realized he really hadn't changed at all.

"Oh. Wait." He stopped suddenly, grabbing her hands. "We have to get you fixed up first."  
She looked down at the cuts. They'd healed over, a little, and they'd stopped bleeding. After everything that had happened, she'd forgotten all about them. Now that she was looking at them, the faint pain became more evident.

"I'll be okay."

Tidus frowned at her. She blinked and looked away. Okay, maybe she wouldn't be.

"This can't wait either. Let's go to the medical bay and go get something for it, then go eat."

Her legs wobbled at the very thought. "Okay." She said meekly, knowing there was no point in arguing at all. Not that she was upset with him for directing her around, it was just she really didn't know how much longer she could keep her eyes open.

"Come on." He smiled, with a somewhat quieter tone of voice. Together they walked back down the hall, Yuna leading the way in something of a daze, until the finally reached the medical bay. As they arrived, Brother and Buddy were leaving the doorway.

"I thought you were eating?" Buddy raised an eyebrow.

"Yuna needs help." Tidus pointed to her hands, and Brother's face went white as snow in horror.

"YUNA!"

She winced.

"What happened?!" Brother near shouted, grabbing one of Yuna's hands carefully and inspecting the cuts.

"We were sorting through sphere shards, and I… was careless." Her voice spoke on it's own accord, and Buddy frowned.

"Sphere shards?" He asked, sounding somewhat surprised and uneasy.

"Trema… destroyed all the spheres he collected." Yuna replied softly, remembering the piles and wincing at the thought.

Buddy went silent, and looked away. He was a sphere hunter too, he understood the importance those spheres had meant to Spira's past.

Brother however, did not seem to share the same concern. "We must take care of these right away!" He pushed Yuna into the medical bay, and she found herself squinting at the bright light. Tidus and Buddy followed close behind, and Paine looked up from her bunk.

"Oh, not you two again." The warrior grumbled, looking warily at Brother and Buddy, rubbing her heavily bandaged leg absently.

"Yuna is hurt! We don't care about you right now!" Brother snapped, dragging Yuna over to the table and pushing her down into a chair. She obeyed quietly, vaguely aware of Tidus sitting down beside her.

"You don't care about me? Oh I'm touched." Paine rolled her eyes and flopped back down on the bunk, staring up at the ceiling with a sour expression.

"You guys have fun, I'm heading to bed." Buddy yawned, waving a little as he headed back towards the doorway. "Brother, don't forget to pilot the ship out of Bevelle before you go to sleep. Don't want any of those Yevonites getting ideas about taking a tour."

Brother muttered something in Al Bhed absently, then plopped down a jar of strange, blue goo, and a handful of white bandages.

"I can do it." Tidus cleared his throat, and Brother scowled.

"You don't know how to do it!" Brother snapped, uncorking the jar with a resounding pop.

Yuna nearly jumped at the sound.

"Oh yeah?" Tidus glared, grabbing the jar.

"If you guys start that again, I'm going to come over there and knock you both out senseless and Yuna can do it herself." Paine growled from across the room.

A moment of silence hung in the air, and a silent battle was waged. Finally, defeated, Brother stood up abruptly and stormed out of the room.

Yuna looked after him with a sigh, then back over to the goo. "I could do it myself…"

Tidus didn't say anything, but gently took her hand and started applying the blue stuff. Despite it's appearance, the goo seemed to work quite quickly, and already the pain in her hands was beginning to ebb.

The feel of his touch on her hand however, dragged her out of her half-awake fog. She swallowed absently, looking over to where Paine lay. The warrior had rolled over to face the wall, and seemed to be sleeping quietly. For a reason she couldn't place, Yuna felt relieved. She looked back down to her hands and winced as he applied another layer. He stopped abruptly and looked up at her.

Before he said anything, she shook her had softly, then relaxed her hand again. After a moment's hesitation, their eyes looking into the others, he continued, more careful this time.

As she watched him, she couldn't help but feel her thoughts reflecting back to the past. She'd never thought she'd see him again. She had wanted to so badly, but… somewhere, inside of her, she had accepted the fact that maybe she never would.

She was so happy to be proved wrong. But even with all the happiness she felt of his return, the relief that when she looked, he was by her side, a fear lingered in her heart. Would it last? He had disappeared once… and she knew he was still what he was before. A dream. A dream of the Fayth. Did that mean he would disappear… again?  
She closed her eyes tightly. She didn't want to think about it, but she couldn't ignore the thought. What if. She didn't think her heart could take it if she lost him again. Not after so far.

Yuna opened her eyes, realizing Tidus had stopped applying the medicine, and had even finished bandaging her hands with the white cloth.

He was watching her, with a worried look on his face. As she stared back at him, it was if some silent message passed between them. Somehow, he knew, what she was thinking.

Gently, he took her hand in his, and kept watching her. He wasn't smiling, the look of worry still was in his eyes, but his face also held a serious tone.

"I'm not leaving, Yuna." He said quietly, and she swallowed uncomfortably. The thoughts were so painful, alone.

He smiled a little, that energetic smirk entering his eyes. He was trying to push those thoughts out of her mind again, trying to distract her. Just like he had so many times back when… He pulled her up out of her seat carefully, and together they walked out of the medical bay.

"Now, we go eat." Tidus grinned, when they were safely in the hall and out of Panie's hearing. Without saying another word, he headed towards the elevator, still holding tight to Yuna's hand. She yawned widely in spite of her attempts to stop herself, and offered no resistance. There wasn't much point, and besides, she was really hungry. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to have a bite to eat before collapsing.

* * *

To say he was starving, would probably be an understatement. Hungrily, he grabbed various items and spoonfuls of what he presumed to be food, onto his plate. Yuna watched from across the table, looking somewhat amused, as she herself carefully dished up a small plate of food. 

He grinned at her, sheepishly, as he put down a serving spoon and went to work on the plate of food.

_'Ohh… this is great.'_ He thought happily, as he took a huge bite of… well, whatever it was. Yuna was carefully spooning the stuff into her mouth, a lot slower then he was, and still looking as though she was going to collapse into her plate at any moment.

"You're right, I do feel better now." She said after a few moments had passed, the silence only broken by the sounds of Tidus eating as fast as humanly possible.

"Told ya." He grinned wider, swallowing hastily as he reached for another dish of food.

"You'll choke." She smiled a little, sounding amused.

"Nah, I do this all the time after Blitzball." He shrugged absently, shoveling another spoonful of food into his mouth. Tried to ignore the memories of Zanarkand filling his mind. "This stuff is great. What is it?"

She blinked, and peered over the pile of dishes. "I'm not sure."

"Ah, doesn't matter. Tastes good." He grinned some more, and piled more on his plate. She giggled aloud.

"Aren't you stuffed yet?" She managed through a quiet giggle, staring at the pile of dishes beside him.

He didn't say anything, but kept eating. She shook her head a little, then looked away. He could tell by the look in her eyes, she was thinking again. Thinking about things neither of them wanted to say, or ask, or even think about.

But she was. She was thinking about it too much, too often. But then, could he blame her? He couldn't hide from it either. They both had to face it, not like last time. Last time they'd ignored it, and… that hadn't been a happy memory.

"Yuna…" He said quietly, putting down his fork and pushing aside the dishes.

She looked back at him, her eyes glistening in the light. "I'm sorry." She whispered, looking down to her hands in her lap. "I can't help it. You're back, but… I'm so… afraid."

He got up quietly, and before she could say anything more, was by her side, taking her hand and pulling her up. Hugging her tightly, he buried his face in her soft hair.

"I don't want to lose you again." He heard her whisper, and he felt a tear slip down her cheek. She was tired, and she was thinking about things neither of them wanted to talk about. They'd have to face it one day, but… now wasn't the time. They had a problem to solve first. At least, that's what he kept telling himself.

"Yuna, you remember that promise I made, in Macalania?" He said after a moment of silence, still holding her tightly.

Slowly, she nodded. "Yes." Her voice sounded almost as if she were saying, how could she ever forget? He couldn't either.

But still, he wanted to repeat it. He had to, for her, and for himself. Maybe somehow it'd make everything better. Maybe it would…

"I'll stay with you. Not until the end. Always."

She shook a little, and hugged him tighter. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He said softly, letting her go somewhat hesitantly, and brushing a strand of hair from her eyes. She looked up at him and smiled a little, though her eyes were still sparkling with wet tears.

"Don't cry." Tidus smiled again, trying to look encouraging. She nodded slowly, and he saw the effort it took from her eyes to make herself wipe the tears away with a bandaged hand. "I'm back."

She hugged him suddenly again, as if she was suddenly quite afraid of him disappearing into thin air. He held her back just as tightly, trying to reassure her, though unable to quell the fear in himself.

They embraced in silence for a long, hanging moment. He felt at peace, even though he knew it wouldn't last, and the thoughts were still lingering.

"Can we… talk a little?" She said after a long silence, tilting her head to look up at him.

He smiled gently. "Sure."

Tidus saw her look around slowly, around the cabin's darkened state. Above them, they could hear Rikku snoring away in her bunk, and Barkeep was no doubt sleeping in his kitchen as usual. Looking a little ways into the corner, he could see the chocobo and Calli sound asleep, side by side. Why the girl insisted on sleeping next to the bird, Tidus couldn't understand, but then, Yuna had said they were important to her. She didn't want to lose it.

"Can we go up?" She said softly, looking back up at him. Granted, there really wasn't any chance of them being heard in the cabin, what with everyone asleep, and the Celsius humming away in the background. But he understood the reason. It didn't matter if the others couldn't hear them, she still wanted that privacy. Like that time in Macalania.

"Aren't you tired?" He raised an eyebrow, watching her soft features as she shook her head in reply.

"I'm feeling better now. I… want to talk. We haven't really had a chance…"

'Without being interrupted by something.' He finished in his mind, and nodded. "Roger."

She smiled at the word, and he saw memories reflected in her eyes for a moment. As he watched, Yuna turned away and headed back down the hall, towards the elevator. Quietly, he followed, throwing one last glance of his shoulder to make sure they hadn't woken anyone up.

The trip to the deck was uneventful, and fast. Yuna knew her way around the Celsius well, and it seemed even though she was tired, she was drawing energy from somewhere. Quite the contrast to how she'd appeared just a little while before. But he knew it wouldn't last, and soon she'd have to sleep.

Until then…

They sat on the deck together, staring up at the stars as the ship slowly moved through the air, no doubt on a course out of Bevelle's skies. Because it was going so slow, the wind was light, and Tidus could barely tell they were flying at all. The stars above them stayed in their place, sparkling brightly down at them beside the moon.

They spoke mostly of what had happened. That time that seemed so long ago when they'd first met, and where their journey had taken them. All the adventures they'd encountered, the people, the battles they'd fought. They avoided the conversation of the Fayth, the Aeons, and the dreams. Yuna didn't want to talk about it anymore, not yet, and frankly, he didn't want to either. They talked about the happy times, not the sad ones. Perhaps the memories were just memories, the past, perhaps like Trema had seemed to believe, the past meant nothing. But somehow, he could see that it was making Yuna happier, to remember, and to see him beside her.

It made him happier too, happier then he could ever remember being.

The lingering fear however, never did leave the air, the entire time they talked. And all the questions, of the dreams. Of the Fayth. How had this come to be?

Tidus looked over to Yuna, and took her hand. She looked over at him with a question on her face, which soon disappeared. She looked tired, more so by the minute. But happy. He never wanted to see her sad again.

"You need to go rest." He said after a moment, then stood quickly and helped her up.

"I'm okay…" She whispered, then her legs wobbled.

He grabbed her to stop her fall, and she managed to regain control of her legs. "Yeah right!" He grinned, shaking his head. She smiled a little, then blinked slowly.

"Come on. Let's get you to bed already." He picked her up before she could protest, and carried her towards the elevator.

"But I'm fine, really!" She managed, but he wouldn't hear it. She sighed as they stepped into the elevator, and she hit the button to go down. He wouldn't take no for an answer, and she knew it.

Wrapping her arms around his neck she closed her eyes, and buried her face in his shoulder. She looked so angelic, so peaceful. So happy. Gently, he carried her out of the elevator and headed towards the cabin. She looked as though she was already half-asleep, though trying to fight it.

As he walked into the cabin and up the stairs, he recalled the last time he'd carried her. That hadn't been a particularly happy memory either. She had just finished her long prayer to the Bahamut Fayth, in Bevelle, and she'd collapsed from the effort. She'd also been wearing her wedding dress…

He had to bite his tongue to keep himself from glaring at the thought of Seymour. That was in the past. He was long dead. He shouldn't be thinking about it anymore.

But it still lingered. That kiss Seymour had stolen from her, in that horrible nightmare of a 'ceremony'… Tidus tried to calm himself down, as he gently sat down on one of the bunks and laid Yuna down. That was all over. As he looked down at her face, her eyes barely open, he couldn't help but smile.

She rolled over a little, then looked back up at him. He smiled a little more, then started to stand up. One of the other bunks was free, he'd sleep there.

"Don't…" He barely heard her, she was so quiet. She caught his hand softly and her eyes said more then she could have possibly said. She was still frightened. Terrified, and tired. Not of the screams, not of the dreams, but of him not being there when she woke up.

Sitting back down, he stroked her face gently and kissed her. She smiled at him and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder as he lay down beside her. Wrapping an arm around her gently, but firmly, he watched her face. Within a moment she was fast asleep, breathing quietly, her face relaxed and peaceful.

For a moment, he wondered if he should leave her, what with the others around and them being in the middle of the cabin. But, he couldn't bring himself to, nor did he really want to. Holding her tighter he closed his eyes and surprisingly, fell asleep quite quickly.


	15. Chapter 14 Old Friends New Dangers

Aaaaiiiiiiii… so… much… school…. GAH! This is… so late. Crud. Cruddddd. -sighs- I was away part of the last couple weeks, and when I WAS home, not only was I drop dead tired, but I had a huge writing project for school to do… Which is finally freaking finished, but it kept me from writing this. Unfortunately, school comes before fic writing. -sniff- Also, I'm up to my neck in projects, so… uh… updates will be… Hopefully as quickly as I can. Forgive me. -collapse-

Anyway, I am NOT quitting the fic, nor am I going to take a hiatus or anything. I'm just warning you that any delays in updating are caused by school…

Maybe ONE darn day, I'll be able to update weekly. (HAH -strangled sob-)

Just a warning to any of you who are getting tired of this story, it still has a way to go… I've pretty much been figuring things out as I've been going along, but recently I figured out the whole plot line and mapped it… And uh… it's going to be a while yet before I'm finished with it. If you think it feels like it's being drawn out, do tell me…

All things FFX and FFX-2 belong to Square Enix.

In Reply to comments:

Elle-

Thank you so much for your kind words… Thank you SO much. It really brightened my day. I won't ever stop writing, that's for sure… I'm really glad that you like it and that it's touching. I'm trying hard to make it…

Also, this chapter has NOT been beta'd… Haven't heard back from my beta for a few days, so I decided to post it before it got any later. I'll upload a fixed version soon as I have it, but as it is, I checked through the best I could to find any mistakes.

Phew… 100 comments. I'm overwhelmed… Thank you ALL soooooo much for those comments, they mean so much to me, they push me to keep writing this. Since I've got 100 comments now… as a sort of thanks… I'll try to get the next chapter up in a week or less. -flop- Hope you like this chapter. Pleeeeease keep commenting.

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Chapter 14

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Yuna was standing on the beach of Besaid, looking over at the clear blue water in front of her. But her mind wasn't on the water, nor was it on the gulls flying through the cloudless sky. She was watching the practice Blitzball game with a smile. All the Aurochs were there, but most importantly to her, so was Tidus. Beside her she could see Lulu, watching with a rare smile as her son played in the sand at the waters edge.

Yuna looked back to the water, caught Tidus's eyes. He smiled at her, and waved, sending water flying as he did. He was enjoying himself, they all were. It was such a beautiful, happy day.

She waved back, smiling just as broadly as he was. The sun was pleasantly warm as it touched her face, and the sea breeze felt moist and cool.

Yuna turned away for a single moment, to look away up to the path behind them. She had heard something distant, like some kind of scream. Frowning, she peered over at the path, saw nothing.

Looking back to the beach, she blinked in surprise. Everyone was gone. No, not everyone. Tidus was still there, standing as happily as he'd been a moment earlier. She felt relieved, though confused. She attempted a smile, but the worry must have shown in her face. He frowned, tilted his head. Slowly he started to walk out of the water, towards her.

An overwhelming feeling of dread swept over her, and she moved toward him quickly, suddenly feeling a strong urge to touch him. She reached her hand out to him, crossing what seemed miles of air, and the moment slid to a halt.

The tips of her fingers brushed air.

They should have brushed his skin.

He raised his hand to take hers, but it moved through her hand like a shadow.

Most people would have screamed. Her throat was suddenly dry and no sound would come. Overwhelming emotions were washing over her as a pyrefly flickered past her eye. His eyes met hers. He tried to embrace her. She tried to reach out to him.

She passed through him, just like she had before. She felt the slithering feeling of despair wash over her as she spun around to see him. She felt as if she was falling into a dark abyss, from which there was no escape.

He was gone.

She twirled around in a frantic circle, looking in every direction. He was gone.

"NO!" She shouted as loud as she could, trying to tear away the reality with her hands. What had happened? Why had this been shattered again? Why couldn't he stay with her? She began to sob uncontrollably, unable to think, unable to feel. It was all empty inside, a dull pain throbbing in her heart. She fell to her knees in the sand, and sobbed aloud. Her tears fell on the sand, unnoticed by anyone. She was alone. The cool air suddenly seemed chilled and the sand harsh beneath her knees.

"Please no…"

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"Yuna?"

Her eyes snapped open. "No!" She shouted, the bright light of the cabin blinding her. It was daylight. She was sitting up in her bed. There was no beach, no water, no sand. It wasn't Besaid.

He held her tightly, whispering her name in her ear, stroking her hair.

"It's okay."

She shuddered, and collapsed inside, hugging him tightly. It'd just been a dream. A nightmare. He was still there. He was still beside her.

"What happened?" He asked softly, and slowly she opened her eyes. Rikku was sitting nearby, watching her cousin worriedly with a spoon halfway to her mouth. Her mouth opened in a wordless question. Yuna blinked once, barely nodded. Rikku slowly went back to eating, though she watched her cousin closely and looked terrified that something had happened.

Yuna swallowed tightly, finding her throat uncomfortably dry. She hadn't had a nightmare like since he'd come back. She didn't have the sense that it was some impending doom, but… The Fayth. It had to be the Fayth. It was becoming more desperate, trying to reach her any way it could. Perhaps. She hoped that's what it was. She prayed that's what it was, though she had no real idea anymore who to pray to. Perhaps the Aeons. The Farplane. They were the ones who had brought him to life in the first place.

"You…" The sound that was her voice died before she could even start. Her chest hurt, her heart hurt. It'd been a dream, but it'd been too real for her tastes. "You… disappeared…" She managed finally, swallowing hard.

His grip tightened.

"I'm not going to disappear." He sounded like he was trying to make himself believe it. It made her sick to the stomach, but it was the only thing she could believe. He was right. He had to be. If he was taken from her again, she didn't think she'd be able to stand it. She didn't want to think about what she'd turn into if he disappeared, after being able to see him like this. After being able to spend more time together with him then she'd ever had.

Tidus was smiling kindly at her, trying to coax her into smiling back. His eyes were glinting in the light, and some of the pain ebbed. No use focusing on what might happen.

_'Keep your mind focused, Yuna. He's here. Focus on that. Not on worrying.'_ She tried to command herself, though she had the feeling she was failing miserably. She tried to smile.

"Is everything alright up here?" Paine's voice broke the moment, and Yuna almost felt relieved for the distraction.

"It's fine." Tidus answered for her, and they both turned to see Paine limping up the stairs. Her face was it's usual emotionless mask, but Yuna noticed a hint of worry in her eyes. How loudly had she been yelling?

Paine lifted an eyebrow silently as she came to a stop at the table where Rikku sat. She didn't press the matter. Rikku might have, if she'd been the one to come in suddenly. But it seemed Rikku had a good idea of what was going on and wasn't going to bother them.

"Guess I may as well get up." Yuna said quietly, watching as the warrior sat down at the table, wincing. She looked a lot better, but the wound still bore a bandage.

"Roger." He grinned at her, squeezing her hand. Trying to cheer her up. She still couldn't push the memory or the dream out of her mind. Of her hand passing through him. Falling through him.

She sat up and slid off the bed quickly. She had to move her mind to something else, and fast. He seemed to understand, and followed suit, moving ahead of her to sit down at the table across from Rikku.

"What's for breakfast?" He asked, looking over the table.

Rikku mumbled something inaudible through a mouthful of food.

"Sounds good." Paine rolled her eyes, and Rikku glared.

"Where is everybody?" A voice shouted from below suddenly. Rikku dropped her spoon and groaned loudly.

"It's too early for him!" She cried, putting her hands on her hips.

Brother made his way briskly up the stairs, and stopped with a look of sudden horror on his face.

"You're still eating?!" He shouted, looking shocked.

"Actually, just started." Tidus grinned cheerfully, grabbing a bowl and helping himself. Yuna smiled at Brother as she sat down, but it seemed lost on the Al Bhed.

"Nobody asked you!" He snapped, looking away from Tidus to Rikku. "Rikku, it's nearly noon! What are you doing down here?"

"Eating. What does it look like I'm doing?" Rikku shot back, swallowing loudly, and eyeing the bowl Tidus had grabbed eagerly. Tidus frowned at her and pulled away, trying to shield the food with his hand.

Brother scowled and opened his mouth to speak, when Cid appeared behind him from the stairs.

_'Oh no…'_

"Good morning!" Her uncle smiled cheerfully, striding past Brother to sit down at the now crowded table. By this time Rikku had leaned across the table, and attempted to snatch the bowl from Tidus.

Brother stood silently dumbfounded for a moment, as his father began to help himself to the food.

Apparently, he was surprised to see he was the only one who'd gotten up early to eat.

Tidus snatched the bowl back from Rikku, which resulted in a flurry of Al Bhed in his direction.

"That's mine!" She snapped, and Tidus frowned, grabbing it back.

"I had it first!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

Yuna slowly turned around to face the two, blinking wearily as she realized the day could only get worse.

"Give me that!" Brother snapped, reaching across Rikku and snatching the bowl away from the both of them. "I am Captain, I get to have it!"

"Quit telling us you're the Captain already, and do something Captain-ish! And gimme that back you bully!" Rikku squealed, elbowing him roughly as she attempted to reach for the bowl.

Brother dropped the bowl and the contents on the table, and was assaulted by a shrieking flurry of Al Bhed. Rikku's mood was not improving, nor was Yuna's regard to the morning so far.

_'It'd be nice to just go back to bed…'_ She thought with a sigh, though she was terrified of the dreams that might greet her. Even though she was still tired from the previous day, she couldn't bring herself to try and sleep. Even if she'd had time to. Sighing, she knew they'd have to set off again, into who knew what, and face danger again. Another day of business for the Gullwings.

Reaching for another bowl herself, she quietly began to eat. While Rikku and Brother raged at each other in Al Bhed, Tidus was making short work of the contents of the bowl, grinning from ear to ear.

She forced herself to smile, and feel more cheerful, as she watched him.

"Why in tarnation do you two always have to fight over the food?" Cid bellowed suddenly, waving his hand towards Brother and Rikku, sending another bowl flying. From somewhere below, Yuna thought she could hear Barkeep groan. He'd be the one cleaning up, and she couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

"She's a thief, father!" Brother grumbled loudly, glaring daggers at his sister as he reached for a fork.

"Tell me something I don't know!" Cid sighed, banging his hand on the table as Rikku grinned like some kind of wild monkey.

Yuna yawned meekly, trying to ignore the argument that was fast approaching. A flicker of the memory swept through her mind again and she cringed.

Tidus's eyes went to hers as she swallowed uncomfortably. Rikku seemed to notice and quickly handed Yuna a glass of water, pausing a moment in her raving of Al Bhed.

Somehow, she managed to smile to her cousin, and accepted it. "Thank you." She took a sip, and winced as the almost painfully cold water washed down her throat. It was refreshing, yet too much for her senses yet. She still didn't feel very awake, or rested for that matter.

"Yuna, Buddy said earlier that we've arrived at Mt.Gagazat." Paine announced quietly, looking up to Yuna from across the table, and ignoring the Al Bhed family completely. "But he didn't want to wake you up, so he said he'd just start scanning the mountain for any sign of a temple. He wanted you to report up to the bridge soon as you were awake and had something to eat."

Yuna nodded once, looking down at the plate in front of her. She was fast losing her appetite, though she knew she had to eat to keep strong for the day ahead. "Okay." She added softly, realizing the warrior may have not seen her small nod.

Paine said nothing, and resumed eating. Beside Yuna, Tidus was still eating as if there was no tomorrow. Yuna cringed. Not a good way to think of it, she realized too late. She felt even sicker. Turning to watch him, she sighed a little and rubbed her forehead. As if staring at him would make him stay. She hoped it would.

If Tidus noticed her gaze and what her eyes told him, he didn't show it. He just kept eating, giving her a smile between bites.

_'How does he manage to eat so much?'_ She wondered blankly as the food quickly disappeared off the table. But then, Rikku was no better, nor Brother. The two of them had finally settled down, leaving their father to sulk, while they continued to eat.

"Well…" Cid announced after a long moment of silence had passed. Yuna swallowed a sip of water timidly, and Rikku scowled.

"Now what, old man?" She grumbled, stabbing a fruit with her fork and sending juices splattering all over Brother.

Cid scowled right back. "You keep your mouth shut for once! I don't want to go talking to you again. I wanted to ask Yuna something."

The table went silent, and all eyes seemed to fall on Yuna.

She swallowed another sip of water, and this time it seemed to catch in her throat.

"Yes?" She finally managed, trying not to cough as she felt herself choking.

"I was ah… wondering about all this running around unmarried business." He cleared his throat as Yuna stared at the food on her plate, wondering why it all somehow came back to that. Cid looked somewhat agitated, but pleased, and at the same time, awkward.

"Not that I have any objection to you running around having adventures, as you've clearly stated that's what you want to do in your life." Cid threw a scowl at Rikku, who looked as though she was going to complain.

"It's just… ah… well… Yuna, you're not getting any younger, and…. You know your father would have always-"

"Spit it out pops!" Rikku cried, glaring daggers at him as he seemed to be capable of rambling on till dinnertime.

"No, let him take his time!" Brother grumbled sullenly, looking as though the whole day had somehow just been ruined.

Cid glared at his two children, then looked back to Yuna. "What I'm trying to say is-"

"You want me to get married." Yuna said quietly, putting down her fork. She had completely lost her appetite now. Though now she felt somewhat cheerier, though… Worried.

"Uh, well, ah, you being a young lady… the High Summoner… Don't you think you should?"

By this time, Tidus has stopped eating and was sitting just as silently as the rest.

"What do you mean by that?" Rikku crossed her arms. "Are you saying Yuna should marry one of those idiots from Luca or Bevelle because she's the High Summoner?"

Cid shook his head quite vehemently, looking annoyed. "No no no! I'm not saying that at all! I wish you kids would listen!" He sighed, then looked back to Yuna. "Yuna, you know, they're going to keep hounding you, and well… People are going to start saying things… Especially since uh…" He nodded towards Tidus, as if that explained the situation. Grimly, she remembered Shelinda's appearance on the Commspheres. It could only get worse.

Yuna couldn't really bring herself to care about what Spira thought about her now, she'd done so much for them, but she could see where her Uncle was trying to get at. She already had enough attention, she didn't want to attract more.

But she didn't want to do anything because of what other people thought. If she was ever going to do something like that, again… She shuddered, surpressed the memories. If she was ever going to do anything like that, she wanted to do it when she was ready. Not when Spira thought she should because of the rumors going around. No High Summoner had ever been alive before. They'd all died fighting Sin. She should have, by tradition, but she was still alive. Spira was in awe of her, and they wanted to know everything about her. True, she didn't want to have a bad reputation, but she didn't want to have to live her life because she was something she'd never expected to be… Her mind trailed around and around in circles, as she stared down at her plate blankly.

_'Why me?'_ She thought for a moment, then banished the thought. She had to be strong. Even if she didn't want to be part of Spira, she was, and that was that. She still had some responsibility, she couldn't go around worrying about everything and lose track of what was going on. But she wanted to live her own life… Her mind stuck, caught between her sense of duty, and her sense of wanting her freedom. Her face must have been getting dark indeed, because Paine suddenly looked up and drummed her fingers on the table.

"Do we have to talk about this right now?" Paine growled, putting down her glass none too gently. "We have a mission to finish. Plan Yuna's wedding afterwards."

"Yes." Yuna said quickly, feeling the center of attention again and not enjoying it. Given the chance, Cid and Rikku would try to start planning her wedding already. She wondered bleakly why everyone was so focused on her still. Spira saw her as the High Summoner, a singer, and now even her friends were constantly focusing on her. When was it going to end?

_'And why do I keep asking myself that? When am I going to get an answer?'_

"I'm going to go up to the bridge and talk to Buddy." She announced quickly after, not giving anyone the chance to even speak. Tidus nodded quietly, and with a small gesture indicated he was going to finish up breakfast before joining her. She gave a slight nod, then turned away, her mind reeling with things and possibilities.

"I'll come with you. I have a feeling I know where this conversation is going to go." Paine muttered, standing up and walking after Yuna. It turned out she was right. As Paine and Yuna walked out of the cabin, Yuna could already hear the bits of conversation drifting down from above.

"So when are you going to propose?" Rikku, sounding quite giddy.

A sound of someone choking. "Say what?" Tidus.

"You and Yunie!" Rikku again.

"You've proved yourself to this family!" Cid, sounding somewhat proud.

"But I-" Tidus again, who was run over verbally by Rikku.

"Of course you will! Come on, when? Oh this'll be so much fun! Yuna can wear a pretty dress again, and we can-" Rikku, who was suddenly verbally run over by Brother.

"ENOUGH!" He shouted, and that was all Yuna heard as the door behind them closed. She cringed a little, and tried to force herself to stop blushing.

"Don't let them bother you, Yuna." Paine said quietly, as they approached the elevator. "It's your life, you decide. Don't let them push you around either." Yuna was slightly surprised. She had expected that's what Paine had thought, but she hadn't expected her to voice it.

"Thanks." She replied awkwardly, not sure what to say back.

Paine said nothing for a long moment, as the elevator slowly made it's way to the bridge. As it went, Yuna couldn't help but think again of everything that was bouncing in her mind. The horrible dream, the Fayth, him, the idea of marriage… Not to mention all the usual worries. Spira's regard and dependency on her, her past, her future, what was she supposed to do… Her mind trailed off in various directions, finding no solutions to any of them.

Sighing, she stepped out of the elevator and onto the bridge.

_'Maybe if we ever find this Fayth, I'll actually have a chance to sit down and think about all of this.'_ She thought grimly, as she put a smile on her face to greet Buddy.

"Good morning." He smiled calmly, and nodded to Paine. She didn't make any sort of reply, standing with her arms crossed at one of the computers.

"So, any sign of the Fayth?" Yuna asked, clasping her hands behind her back absently as she peered out of the windows. The Celsius was sitting on a huge expanse of snow, probably on the lower levels of Gagazat where it could actually land. Outside it was snowing, and looked terribly dreary and cold. Wonderful weather for hiking around in shorts and a T-shirt. She sighed, making a mental note to change into something warmer before they left.

"Unfortunately, no." Buddy sighed, shaking his head. "We've scanned the whole mountain, but there isn't any sign of anything unusual. But… We figure that's because of the Fayth Scar itself, and the snow. It's blocking our scanners, to the point of where they're uselessly feeding back information it thinks is real, but isn't." Yuna nodded slowly, feeling hope melt away. So much for the quick and easy way. Now they'd have to explore every inch of it by foot.

"So where do we start?" Paine asked, as if reading Yuna's mind.

Buddy went over to one of the computers, and signaled up a map. Pointing to a familiar location, he smiled. "Here."

Yuna's face brightened. "The Ronso! Of course, we can ask them if they know of anything."  
"It's unlikely that the temple is located anywhere below where most people can get to. It'll probably be up in the area of the Fayth Scar and above."  
"The Ronso's sacred ground." Paine said quietly.

"Yes. So you'll need permission from their Elder. But I'm guessing that won't be too big a problem."  
Yuna grinned in spite of all the awful things floating through her mind. "It shouldn't be."

_._

_._

_'To say it's cold, would be one heck of an understatement.'_ Tidus shivered, standing out in the middle of the snowfield while the others trailed out of the Celsius. Buddy had supplied them all with thick winter coats, but even those didn't seem to block the piercing cold wind that shrieked by. Tidus's hair was whipping around his head, as he had bluntly refused to wear a hood. Well, maybe that'd been a mistake. But there was no use going back now, Rikku would never let him hear the end of it.

Grimly, he turned around to watch the others huddling together in a group, saying their farewells to Brother, Buddy, and Calli. The young girl had helped make the coats, apparently, and she hadn't done a half-bad job either. Though, it was still cold.

Yuna turned away first, looking over the field until she spotted him. She waved once, then pulling her hood over her head, slowly began to make her way over. She was dressed in the same kind of coat he was, though it was more fitted to her size and was white as the snow around her. Not the best color for being seen well in, if she happened to get lost.

_'She's not going to get lost.'_ He muttered to himself, smiling as Yuna came to a halt a few paces away from him.

"It's a bit colder then I remember." Tidus announced, watching his breath come out in puffs of white cloud. Yuna grinned a little, gripping her coat tighter around her.

"Next time maybe you shouldn't wear shorts."

"What about you, Yuna?" He grinned right back at her, and saw a bit of red enter her cheeks as she looked away. He'd meant to tease, and for a moment, regretted saying anything.

"It was kind of Rikku's idea." She said quietly, sounding embarrassed and self-conscious.

"You look fine." He started, and was cut off from saying anything more when Rikku bounded over, in her bright yellow coat.

"Oh well of course you like it!" She stuck her tongue out at him, though afterwards seemed to regret it as a cold gust of wind went by. She shivered and started jumping up and down, waving her arms around like some kind of bird.

"Why can't it be warm for once?" Rikku cried, looking quite unhappy.

"I knew it wouldn't take long for you to start complaining." Paine muttered, coming up between the three of them. Though Rikku's yellow coat and Tidus's blue one stood out well against the snow, Paine's black form seemed to stand out like a sore thumb. Tidus wondered briefly if it had been such a good idea to let Calli choose the colors after all.

"Well, are we going to get moving or not? Buddy and Brother are going to check the upper levels of Gagazat, where we found those ruins. They'll be there all day until it's time to come pick us up, around dark." The warrior announced, ignoring the bouncing Al Bhed beside her.

"No use staying here and freezing." Tidus shivered, really starting to regret not taking the coat with the hood.

"Let's go." Yuna started off towards the stairs that would lead them up to the Ronso's home, when Rikku let out a wail.

"No! We can't go yet!"

Everyone turned to look at Rikku, who grinned sheepishly. "Mission time! Come on, Yunie!"

Yuna sighed, though she didn't look irritated, unlike Paine.

"Alright. Gullwings… Let's go!" She held out her hand, and Rikku put her own over top of it. Tidus did the same, though it was a moment before Paine followed suit.

"This is ridiculous." Paine muttered, but a smirk seemed to be on the edge of her lips.

Yuna grinned, spinning around again to head back up to the stairs. Rikku skipped after her, Tidus following closely behind. He could hear Paine bring up the rear, always on the alert.

The walk wasn't a long one, Buddy had managed to land close to the tunnel that led up to the Ronso's 'village'. Though why it was called a village, Tidus never could figure out. He'd never seen any kind of houses or places where the Ronso might have slept. It was likely though those were hidden in the mountain somewhere, where no one other then a Ronso would ever find them.

Walking up the stairs behind Yuna, he felt memories slip back into place. The time when he'd traveled with Yuna and the others to Zanarkand was nothing more now then a memory, but it was still fresh in his mind. The last time they'd come here, the greeting had not been a welcome one…

"Kimarhi!" Yuna smiled, waving her hand as they turned the corner and entered the large clearing. The Ronso turned to face them, and Tidus could see a small smile on his face. Though he was smaller then the rest of his people, he somehow managed to hold an air about him that was almost overpowering. The first time Tidus had seen him, he remembered feeling quite intimidated. That'd changed when he'd actually met Kimahri and began to understand him more, but that intimidation always lingered.

"Yuna. Kimarhi glad to see you." He bowed his head a little, in respect, as Yuna and the others came to a halt in front of him. Another Ronso, a female, stood at his side, watching them with curiosity and a friendly eye.

Tidus liked this welcome better already.

Kimarhi looked them over silently, one by one, his large head barely moving as he stood proudly in the blowing snow. He nodded once to Tidus, perhaps another show of respect. He'd seemed to accept Tidus a long time ago, when he realized he could trust him to protect Yuna just as much as he'd sworn to.

Kimarhi turned back to Yuna, his fierce gaze somewhat melting.

"What brings Yuna here?" He asked, his tail twitching a little as a gust of wind swept by.

"Well, it's kind of a complicated story…" Yuna sighed, looking down at the snow.

"To make it short, we need to search the mountain for a temple." Paine cut in, crossing her arms over her chest.

Kimarhi regarded Paine coolly, then returned his stone gaze on Yuna. He was waiting to hear the story, one that he knew Yuna would tell, given the chance.

Yuna knew when to keep things brief, and it didn't take long for Kimarhi to understand what they wanted. He had already known about the fiends, and Yuna's search for the source of them. He seemed pleased with her progress, and not at all upset at their request.

"Kimarhi trust Yuna. Yuna may go up the mountain to seek this temple. But strong fiends have been around the Scar. Yuna must be careful."

"We will, don't worry." She smiled genuinely, looking up at the big Ronso with what could only be child like affection. He'd been her protector for so many years, Tidus guessed she probably was still getting used to him being an Elder. He'd taken her to Besaid after her father had died 'defeating' Sin, and though the Ronso never seemed to warm up to anyone, there was no doubt a bond had formed between the two.

Kimahri nodded once, then looked up to the mountainside. "Kimarhi and Gerra will take you to the pass. There Ronso must stay, Elder's place is with Ronso." He nodded to wards the road that would lead them through the winding passes of snow, eventually, to the pass. From there they could either enter the tunnels, or search above the Fayth Scar. Beside him, the female Ronso also nodded, and Tidus took that to mean she was 'Gerra'.

"You don't have to come, Kimarhi, we'll be fine." Rikku chirped, though Yuna shook her head.

"We'd be happy if you came with us, Kimarhi."

He seemed to smile, then turned away and began walking. His long strides were hard to keep up with, but Tidus quickly got used to it. He'd done it countless times back… then.

As the group walked, the two Ronso in the lead, Yuna walked quickly to go beside Kimarhi. Neither of them said anything, but both seemed to look a little happier in a way. Tidus grinned, and tried to ignore the fact his ears felt like they were going to fall off from the cold.

"Kimarhi…" Paine said after a moment, calling out to the Ronso in the front. As he walked, he turned his head, looking to the warrior with his expressionless gaze. Paine walked a little faster to catch up, then looked around the mountains.

"Are there any places here that could be considered a temple?" She asked, and Tidus found himself wondering why he hadn't thought to ask that.

Kimarhi considered for a long moment as they walked. Finally, he shook his head slowly, then looked back to the path in front of them. Due to the Ronso's long pace, they were making good time. The near running also served to help warm him up, Tidus found.

"Kimarhi not know of any place like temple on Sacred Mountain. Fayth Scar and Path to Zanarkand are the only places temple like."

Paine frowned, and said nothing more. The group walked in long silence for a moment, before Gerra spoke. Her words were even less eligible then Kimarhi's, it was clear she was not used to speaking anything other then the Ronso language.

"Ruins above Scar are Sacred. Ronso rarely travel up. Tunnels go deep in Mountain. Not much traveled. Maybe Temple there. High Summoner go there."

Yuna's eyes brightened a little, as she looked back to the group behind her.

"I guess that'll have to do." She said quietly, then looked over to Paine. "We're not going to be able to explore both today if we all stick together. It'll take too long."

Paine shrugged. "Me and Rikku can go up past the Fayth Scar." Rikku looked as though she was going to argue, but as the idea of tunnels seemed to form in her mind, she clamped her mouth shut. Apparently, she was still connecting the word 'tunnels' with Bevelle, and Tidus couldn't really blame her for it.

"Okay, then we'll take the tunnels." Tidus tried to grin, motioning to himself and Yuna.

Yuna nodded once, caught his gaze, smiled, and then looked back to Kimarhi.

"Is that alright, Kimarhi?"

He nodded once. "Kimarhi trust Yuna, and friends. Ronso will help if Yuna is in danger."

She smiled. "We'll be fine, we've been here before."

The Ronso said nothing, and continued to walk in silence.

"Except the fact the fiends are stronger now…" Rikku muttered quietly, looking unhappy and cold.

"Don't worry Rikku, I'll protect you." Paine snorted, looking away to hide a small grin.

"I don't need your help, besides, you're injured! You shouldn't even be here!" Rikku retorted, glaring daggers of ice.

Paine snorted again. "I'm fine, no thanks to that fool you call a brother." She seemed to pause for a moment, testing her leg as she walked. Nodding, she shrugged. "The walk will do it good."

"Don't push yourself." Yuna warned, looking behind her again with a look of worry. "We don't need you collapsing."

Paine scowled. "I'm fine. I wish you'd all stop worrying."

"It's just because we care!" Rikku chirped, grinning from ear to ear.

Paine regarded her icily. "I can still go back to the airship you know."

"Oh no you can't!" Tidus grinned, pointing above them.

Looking up, the Celsius could be seen, between a few drifts of cloud, rising up the mountain towards the ruins. Paine sighed, but didn't say anything more. Rikku giggled, then began jumping up and down as she walked, trying to keep warm.

The remainder of the walk was in silence, but Tidus didn't mind. It gave him a chance to focus more on what was going on. He'd probably have to fight a few battles, he had to make sure he was awake and focused. It wasn't something he usually worried about, but he wasn't about to be careless now. He watched Yuna as she walked beside Kimarhi, smiling up at the Ronso despite the worry in her eyes. Even with the hood over top of her head, and the long coat trailing down to her booted feet, she still seemed beautiful.

"Heyy, quit staring!" Rikku whispered, smacking Tidus on the arm and bringing him back to the cold reality that blew around him.

"What?" He asked innocently, looking at her with what he hoped was a look of confusion.

She grinned and shook her head, punching him in the arm again. Before either of them could say anything more, Kimarhi abruptly halted. Looking ahead, Tidus was surprised to see them at the pass. It hadn't taken them very long at all.

"Thank you, Kimarhi, for escorting us." Yuna was saying, smiling again and bowing to the Ronso Elder. He smiled visibly, crossing his arms as he watched the four group together.

Kimarhi didn't say anything in reply, but he didn't really need to. Yuna bowed again, then turned around to face the others. Behind her, Kimahri quietly spoke a few words to Gerra, then began to walk back down the path. Tidus watched them for a moment before focusing his attention back to Yuna. The two Ronso seemed close, somehow. She looked as though she was some kind of helper, maybe an aid to the Elder or something. But then again… Maybe she was his mate? Though knowing Kimarhi, they'd probably never find out. Still, Tidus was somewhat curious. He'd have to ask Yuna about that one day.

"Okay guys, here we go again." Yuna wasn't smiling anymore, and despite her best efforts, was looking slightly anxious. "We'll meet back here just before dusk, alright?" She looked around, they all nodded silently.

"But how are you going to know what time it is? You'll be down in those… tunnels!" Rikku suddenly asked, shivering from the fear and not the cold.

"We'll keep track of the time, don't worry." Yuna smiled, trying to look as though she believed herself.

"Well, let's not waste anymore time. See you guys later." Paine nodded, then started walking towards the Fayth Scar. Rikku made a slight squeal, as if Paine had started off before she was ready, then looked back to Yuna anxiously.

"We can still go together you know!"

"Rikku, we have to search the mountain today. We're running out of time." She hugged her cousin, and closed her eyes. "Be careful."

Rikku sighed, hugged her cousin back, then let go. "You too, Yunie." She looked over to Tidus, and smirked. "You take care of Yunie or else!"

He grinned in reply, and crossed his arms. "Get going already!" Rikku was about to say something more, when she looked over to Paine. The warrior was almost out of sight. Shrieking, Rikku ran off after her, waving her arms around and looking somewhat frantic.

Laughing a little, Yuna turned around to face Tidus. Her laughter soon melted away and was replaced with a grim look. He reached out to take her hand, giving it a squeeze. She tried to smile, but looked somewhat pained. He could almost see the screams echoing in her eyes.

'This has to end.'

"Here we go again." Tidus quoted her, starting into the tunnels. She followed quietly, staying close, as the darkness soon began to shadow over them and the dim lights of the cave plants came into view. It wasn't as eerie as Bevelle, but it still had a creepy manner to it. Tidus hadn't enjoyed it much the first time around, and he couldn't imagine he'd enjoy it any more this time.


	16. Chapter 15 Underwater Memories

… My computer died. Kaboom. Couldn't get to the internet for a few days, let alone write on things… and I lost all my work… Had to rewrite, took even longer… and school has been hectic as well. So this is really late… again… even when I said I'd hope to get it up within a week. Really sorry, with the computer crash, and the school workload, I've not had much time for fic writing… Summer will change that, I hope. Key word, hope. Also going to replay FFX and FFX-2 over the summer probably, so I'll be way more inspired with the writing. I would have thought I'd be sick of the whole thing by now, but no… My love for FFX if anything, grows. Almost scary. So don't worry, no matter what happens, I'm not going to quit… Though I sure hope my computer doesn't die again.

I hate to do this to you guys, but this chapter… well, it's really, only half a chapter. I just wanted to get something up, so you guys wouldn't think I'd given up. The second part to this chapter will be up within a week, and that I can promise, unless my computer decides to go and kill itself again. Which is unlikely.

I'm really tired right now so I'm just going to reply to a few comments, I'll get the rest next update-

Elle- Thank you again for your wonderful words, and I'm really glad you're liking the story. I know I get a little long winded (Little, hah… who am I kidding?) with some scenes, but I can't seem to help it. I'm also glad the story is conveying the emotions I want it to so far… I'll try not to be so bad with the "Will he disappear?!" thing, I think I've tormented poor Yuna enough.

Also, Golden Rose, I don't know if you're still reading this via website, but… my e-mail doesn't seem to want to send messages to your address…

This chapter hasn't been heavily edited, so no doubt, there's a couple problems here and there… I'm sorry about that… Tried to look over it the best I could. If there's any huge mistakes, please point them out and I'll fix em.

And there we go, all finished with that. Oh. Right, I don't own FFX or FFX-2, but I sure do love them.

Onto the chapter- Yes! Finally! Tweeee!

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Chapter 15

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Yuna hung on the rock ledge by only her fingers. Craning her neck downward she looked at the large pool of water below her, lit underneath by various strange glowing rock formations. The color shimmering in the water was quite beautiful, just as beautiful as it had been when she'd first seen them two years ago. However, she didn't allow herself the pleasure of gazing at them for longer then a half second. Looking back up she frowned, feeling her fingers slipping.

"Um, I was sort of thinking we'd use the stairs." Tidus seemed to be hiding an amused grin as he crouched down above her, and grabbed her wrists to help her climb back up. She glared for a moment, but found herself unable to looking at his grinning face. As he pulled her back up the ledge she walked up the side with her feet.

Back on steady ground, she dusted off her jacket and put her hands on her hips. "If you hadn't been in such a hurry, I would have seen the ledge!" She sighed, shaking her head and trying hard not to laugh at herself. She'd been so busy looking at the walls to see some sign of a temple, she'd nearly walked straight off the ledge. Luckily he'd been there to help her back up, and even if she had fallen, she'd only have landed in water. But still, she'd been careless, and as funny as the thought was, she was silently angry about it.

"Oh don't start that." He shook his head, still grinning. "I know that look, Yuna. Now you're never going to forgive yourself for not paying attention. Hey! It happens! Come on, let's keep moving." She wondered how he could possibly be so happy, as he headed down towards where the stairs entered the water. Any further comments about the matter left her mind as he threw off his jacket.

"What are you doing?" She blinked, following after him, a good few feet away from the ledge this time.

"We've already explored most of the caves, right?"

She nodded, then looked over to the water, and to the tunnel that ran into its dark depths, faintly lit by the glowing rocks. It wasn't Bevelle, but somehow the sight made her shiver.

"That's the only place we haven't looked. Me, Wakka, and Rikku went down there once, you remember?" He continued, and she nodded again. "We found some strange things on the other side, some… tests, I guess, for when we were getting to Zanarkand. Maybe the temple's in there too." He shrugged, stepping into the water till he was up to his knees.

She watched him silently, then looked back to the tunnel. She didn't really want to go, but she had to admit, she'd seen worse. It wouldn't be so bad, besides, she could swim alright. Though, playing blitzball for a few short rounds was a lot different then swimming in underground tunnels and running into fiends…

"Come on, the water's warm." He grinned, scooping his hand into the water and playfully splashing her. She smiled a little, then carefully taking off her jacket and setting it down beside his, waded in. She was surprised. It was warm.

"How can it be warm?" She wondered aloud, dipping her hand into the water and testing it with her fingers. Tidus shrugged.

"Who knows? Maybe it has something to do with those hot springs Rikku enthusiastically told me about."

"You're right, I hadn't thought of that. That could be it." She pondered, staring down at the water.

"Come on Yuna, quit stalling!" Playfully grabbing her hand, he proceeded in wading the rest of the way into the water, dragging her along with him. Not that she would have complained if she'd been able to, but she still felt uneasy. Taking one last gasp of air, she dived down into the water.

Once her eyes had gotten used to the strange sensation of water, she was able to see Tidus beside her, waving at her as if checking to see if she were alright. She nodded silently, and kicked forward towards the tunnel. He swam close beside her, graceful as a fish. She could tell he could have swum a lot faster, but he was slowing down to keep up with her. Making a little promise to practice more, she turned her mind back to the task at hand.

Since the water was warm, it wasn't an uncomfortable swim. She could hold her breath for quite a while if she had to, and since the underground water lacked currents, she was using little of her air and energy. Reaching the other end would be no problem.

The length of the tunnel however, was much longer then she had expected. After swimming steadily for five minutes, there was still no sign of air. Yuna found herself beginning to worry, as they swam around another corner and still were met with only more water.

An uncomfortable feeling began to grow in her chest. Her lungs were starting to plead for air, and she still couldn't see the end of the tunnel. Beside her Tidus was still swimming with seemingly no problem, in fact, he looked just as relaxed and energetic as he had when they'd started. She wondered vaguely how in Spira he could hold his breath for so long. Then her mind went back to the possibilities of what would happen if they didn't reach air soon.

_'I have to keep calm.'_ Yuna told herself, closing her eyes while she swam and forcing herself to stop worrying. The end of the tunnel wouldn't be far. As long as she stayed calm and conserved her air, she'd be fine. Besides, he was right there beside her. There was nothing to worry about.

Nevertheless, her lungs didn't quite believe her and the feeling continued to rise. She found herself swimming faster, which only expended more of her energy, and more of her air. Her eyes open again, she searched the tunnel in front of them for any sign of a break to the surface. There was nothing. The tunnel simply curled along in a weaving path, into the darkness beyond.

Somehow, she managed to press on. For another few minutes, they swam, but her speed was starting to decrease and her swimming more panicked.

Finally she could see in front of them the end. She could see the water's surface, shimmering slightly from the glowing stones resting on the walls. Her mind barely registered the sight however, as things suddenly seemed to be getting very blurry and dark.

A steady hand grasped her by the shoulder, and she was barely aware of herself being dragged through the water at an alarming speed. Just as everything seemed to drop into complete shadow, she felt herself free of the watery prison. She could feel cool, sweet air on her wet skin and she struggled to breathe it in as fast as she could.

"Easy, take it easy." She heard him say gently, still holding her as she coughed violently and gasped in air. Her lungs screamed, but the pain was already ebbing as she could feel the shadows slowly dropping away. Her eyes began to clear, and finally, she could see his face in front of her.

"I'm… okay." She coughed again, shivering and wrapping her arms around her shoulders. He looked worried, and almost as if he didn't believe her. She looked up at him, and felt suddenly terrified about what had just happened. She could have… Why had she been so stupid? She should have… A thousand thoughts raced through her head, as her mind became fully alert. The worry in his face almost made her sick. She wished she didn't have to do any of this anymore, she didn't want to be out in the middle of some cave looking for some temple. She just wanted to go home. She just wanted…

She flung her arms around his neck and buried her head in his chest. His arms wrapped around her and held her firmly, one of his hands stroking her wet hair. Closing her eyes, she tried to leave everything around her behind and focus only on him, just for a moment. But as her mind blocked out their surroundings, she felt what she'd been containing break free.

An agonizing, soul-wrenching scream tore through her head, and she nearly screamed herself. Biting her lip to keep from screaming a strangled moan found it's way through her lips instead. Fighting against the screaming, she shuddered and held onto him tighter. Somehow she found the strength to contain it again, to push away the screaming Fayth.

_'Help us, Summoner, help us, why have you left us, help us, Summoner, it hurts, it hurts, Summoner, help us, where are the others, help us, help us, make the pain stop, Summoner, help us, we didn't want to hurt them… help us…'_

The voice echoed in her mind as she managed to push it away with a final mental shove. The echo vibrated through her skull, fading after a long time into a whisper. But it did not fade away fully. The voice continued to whisper on and on, repeating itself and speaking near nonsense.

After what seemed like an eternity, she opened her eyes and pulled away. Tidus was watching her with a rather upset look. She could see it in his eyes, so clear, she could almost hear his thoughts. Why does she have to be in this pain? Why can't I do anything to help her?

Standing up unsteadily, she turned to look down the tunnel that continued down into the darkness. Dripping water and shivering, she tried to find the courage to keep on going.

"We'll find her." He said softly, placing his hand on her shoulder. "We'll end it. Then the Fayth can go rest."

She nodded once, looking down to the floor. She didn't want to say she had no idea how she'd end it. The idea was that she would send it, but… what if that didn't work? If this creature was truly something of a Fayth and yet not… How could she possibly send it?

And even if she could… It would go to rest with the other Fayth. What if this last Fayth was the only thing keeping… She looked up to Tidus, and hid the look from her eyes. No. She couldn't think like that. She'd spoken to Bahamut in the Farplane, and he'd spoken to her about it. What was keeping him here was in the Farplane, not some Fayth still in Spira.

She caught herself almost praying to Yevon to make that so. It had been so conditioned into her, only two years ago, sometimes she found herself remembering it. Even if it had been all false. She'd grown up with it, only to destroy it. Her mind threatened to reel as the thoughts bounced through her head and she fought for control.

"We'd better keep moving." Yuna heard herself say, and his hand left her shoulder. He came up beside her, and looked sideways at her.

"Are you sure you're alright?" He asked, speaking still with the soft, concerned voice.

"I'll be okay. Once this is over."

Tidus nodded a little, sighing as he did so. Stepping past her, he began to walk down the dark tunnel that led deeper into the mountain. Yuna followed a moment later, after taking one last look behind them at the water. They'd have to go back through there, if the were going to get out again. She had to be more careful.

Walking in silence, Yuna lost count of how many minutes ticked by. After a while, her hair stopped dripping water and she felt her clothes begin to dry. The air in the tunnel was cool, but not to the point of being uncomfortable. The lights that had lit it before now seemed to be less common, and not as tightly grouped. With the addition of an eerie silence, the tunnel was fast becoming disturbing.

She usually enjoyed silence. It allowed her time to think and time to meditate on things. This silence however, seemed to eat away at her mind and encourage frightened thoughts. Tidus, still walking in front, didn't seemed to be bothered at all, but kept looking back to her every few minutes.

"It's so quiet…" She finally said, hating the silence and trying pathetically to fill it. Her voice seemed to be eaten up by the darkness however, and any strength it may have held could not be heard.

Water dripped somewhere in the distance as if to prove her wrong. The echoing sound that followed was unnerving to say the least.

Tidus slowed, until he was walking closely beside her. Though she could see a slight concern still in his eyes, his voice when he spoke, was full of his usual energy.

"In Zanarkand, some people would have paid to have it this quiet." He spoke with no sign of fear in his voice. He was trying to distract her from the silence. Grateful, she looked to him and titled her head.

"What do you mean?" Somehow her voice sounded a little stronger.

"Well, everything there is so… loud. All the machines that run the city, they're constantly grinding away and making a huge commotion. Even at night. Most people get used to it, eventually. Silence doesn't exist in Zanarkand, just like darkness doesn't."

She smiled. "All the lights, right?"

He grinned and nodded. "Yeah! There's always lights on, even in the day. They never go out, the machines keep them running all the time."

Closing her eyes, she tried to picture it. She barely remembered the images she'd seen that one time of it, when Seymour had shown them that sphere of it. She'd been so caught up with thoughts of other things at the time, she'd barely had a chance to recall it then.

Opening her eyes again, she remembered suddenly something Shinra had said.

"Shinra made a discovery when we were in the Farplane…" She started absently, frowning as she recalled it. "He said that the energy there could be used to power machines, eventually… That one day we'd be able to build cities like Zanarkand again."

Tidus's eyes lit up. "Really?" He asked, sounding surprised and almost excited.

Nodding, she found herself smiling again. "Well, it'd take years, he said… It probably won't happen in my lifetime." It made her sad to recall that. She'd always wanted to see Zanarkand, and it seemed she'd never get the chance to see any kind of machine run city.

He frowned, just a little, then looked back at her. "Don't say that, Yuna! I'm sure the Al Bhed will figure something out before you're old and gray." He grinned, as if amused by the thought.

"Hey!" She sighed, shaking her head. "I guess you're right, though. Maybe they will. I'm still young." She spoke almost without thinking, suddenly caught up in dreams of the future and what they might hold. She could barely see the tunnel around her, and for a wonderful moment, she forgot about the worries of the present.

"How old are you, anyway?" Tidus asked, tilting his head.

She blinked, looking back over to him. "You don't know? I guess I never said…" He shook his head. "I'm nineteen, now."

He stared at her silently, for a long moment. "You mean… you were… seventeen when you decided you were going to go defeat Sin?" He asked, blinking as if he couldn't believe it.

"Oh, no." She shook her head, looking to the floor. "I decided I wanted to become a Summoner when I was ten. I spent six years training for it, and I'd just turned seventeen a few days before you came. That was why I went to pray to the Fayth in Besaid. I was old enough to become a Summoner, finally."

Tidus looked as though she'd said something to the effect she was a Fayth herself.

"Ten?" He echoed, staring at her in shock.

Yuna nodded.

"But… you knew…" He struggled for the words, stopping in the middle of the tunnel.

Stopping as well, she nodded again. "Yes. I knew I would die if I managed to defeat Sin." She paused, then continued when she saw he was still as a loss of words. "When my father defeated Sin, I was so happy, even though I knew he was never going to come back. I saw everyone around me, so happy, and thankful. I wanted to be part of that happiness, but… As I grew up, even with Kimarhi, and Lulu, and Wakka, I didn't feel happy. I couldn't find anything, and even though I had my friends I felt alone. I wanted…" Her voice trailed off as she went back to so many years ago, back to what seemed almost a different lifetime. "I wanted to be with my father. I wanted to make Spira happy. I knew that would make me happy."

"Weren't you afraid?" He asked finally, slowly recovering from the look of shock.

Yuna didn't answer for a moment, then finally nodded a little. "Yes, I was. But I knew with all my heart that was what I had to do." She hesitated, then looked around the tunnel for a moment, then back at him. "And… I turned out to be right, I guess."

Tidus blinked again, then looked thoughtful. "You did it, Yuna. I don't think I ever got the chance to say it. I know this is a little late but…" He grinned. "You beat Sin, and not just for a few years. You did what nobody else could."

Yuna felt her face flush, and she looked to the ground. She was used to hearing that from nearly everyone, though not so much over the last year. But hearing it from him, somehow it seemed… to mean something. She'd tried so hard to push Sin into her past, she found herself almost overwhelmed suddenly by the memories. She had done it. She'd changed all of Spira.

No… that wasn't right. It hadn't just been her.

She shook her head. "No. We did it. We beat Sin. Everyone. And you… If you hadn't…" Her voice trailed off. Wakka's words trailed through her head, from so long ago, when they stood in the airship before the final battle.

_"And to think if you hadn't come floating out of the sea that day…"_

And Lulu's words…

_"You know, your meeting Yuna was really quite…"_

Her mind was lost in the memories, and with them suddenly the screaming whisper was buried and forgotten. The world suddenly seemed a strange place, as she thought of what had happened and what would have happened if he hadn't appeared as he did.

Tidus seemed to notice the far off look in her eyes, and he smiled a little.

"Come on, let's go find this Fayth and go home."

_'Home.'_ The word made her heart jump happily, as she felt herself smile.

"Yes. Home." She grabbed his hand, and with a grin that matched the sudden happiness in her heart, she started down the tunnel.

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AN:

Poor excuse for a chapter wasn't it? Well, like I said, this was just a half chapter really. The next 'half' will take me a couple days to write, and honestly, I didn't want to make you guys wait any longer. So expect an update within a week. If there's no update by next Sunday, I'm either dead, or should be. Tweee… Next chapter should be longer too, with any luck. This chapter was kind of slow paced, but the next one will be full of action no worries.


	17. Chapter 16 Terror in the Dark

Here we go again… And wow, it's on time!!! Well, it should be… as long as Fanfiction doesn't take hours and hours to post it…

Or maybe it's late… I guess it depends on your time zone.

ANYWAY, on my clock, it says it's still Sunday, so I'm going to presume it's on time. Whee.

Again, it's a half chapter, so don't expect too much of it… I'll give you guys a REAL chapter soon, maybe in two weeks or so. Family from the other side of the country are coming to stay so I don't know how much time I'll have to write…

In reply to comments…

From Kaci-Kuryido-

IM details you could contact me on? I'm not sure I understand the question, I'm sorry… Though maybe I read it wrong. If you want to e-mail me, feel free. My e-mail is on my bio page, and I'll just write it off here if you wanted it – Anybody who wants to e-mail me go ahead, just don't spam me or send me chain letters and the like. Then I'll be forced to take my e-mail off the page. Okay, thanks…

Elle-

I didn't realize comments got cut off either… That's a shame… I wonder how many of my comments have been cut off… eek… what a thought… If you ever have something you want to comment on but it's too long for the comment box thing, go ahead and e-mail me if you like.

I think that's it… might have missed a couple… if I did… holler at me… I'm a scatter brain lately and need to be hollered at.

Thank you ALL for your wonderful comments. They really help me get through the tough times I've been having lately with writing and life in general. Thanks so much.

This chapter hasn't been heavily edited, I only looked over it a few times.

I don't own FFX or FFX-2. But it's a pity I don't, because then I'd be rich instead of broke.

Okay then. I think that's it. Hope it isn't too bad a half chapter, and, I'll have the next one up ASAP…

(this is really turning into a long story isn't it? I never planned to make it this long either, it just keeps… growing. Dear me… I've got so much more planned too. I hope you guys don't mind long stories, because the way this thing is headed… My longest fanfiction ever. Second longest story I've written… ever… Phew… )

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Chapter 16

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"So what are we looking for anyway?" Tidus finally broke the silence, unable to take anymore of the eerie echoing of water drops. They'd been walking for what seemed hours, down the spiraling tunnels of rock and occasional pools of water. So far, they'd found nothing that indicated anyone else had ever been down the tunnels. They'd searched what seemed miles of the tunnels, branching this way and that. The only reason they hadn't gotten lost, was because of Yuna's smart idea to place markers.

Beside him Yuna turned her head to look over at him, breaking off from her search of the tunnel walls. "I'm not sure." She admitted, sounding a little embarrassed and a little worried. "Probably some kind of runes marked into the stone. Or some kind of tunnel, or ruins, or…" She trailed off, giving a small sigh. "I don't know. I'm hoping to recognize it when I see it. Because I'm a Summoner, when I get close to the Chamber of the Fayth I should be able to sense it. So far… nothing." She looked back to the tunnel wall, looking grim and tired.

"You said you were still a Summoner…" Tidus mused after a few moments of silence, finding nothing else to talk about. "How?"

She turned again to look at him, a mild look of confusion on her face. "What do you mean?"

Tidus paused, looking for the right words to explain what he was wondering. "Well… When Sin disappeared, all the Fayth disappeared." He regretted mentioning it as soon as he said it, he could see a small twinge in her face as she was no doubt reminded of something she badly wanted to forget. However, she nodded, indicating him to go on.

"Didn't all the Summoners lose their power when the Fayth disappeared?"

Yuna blinked, then looked to the ground. "Yes and no." She spoke softly as they walked, and he could see a sort of sadness in her face. It'd been such a huge part of her life, and suddenly she'd no longer had any use for it. He wondered faintly what that would feel like, and couldn't imagine it.

"We can't summon anymore, of course. The Aeons are gone, though they're still in the Farplane, somehow. But they're just spirits there, really, we can speak to them if we go there, but we can't gain their aid like we did with Sin. But the Summoners who are left, well, we still have the power that connects us to the Fayth. We all went in the same ceremony when we were young…" Her voice grew softer as she seemed to remember something. "The ceremony that connects us to the Fayth and Yevon. We've lost our links to Yevon, but not to the Fayth. Even in the Farplane, we can still, well, sense them. The connection will be with us until we die. And, because we still have that connection, we can still sense the magic that was bound to the Fayth and Yevon." She looked over to him, and seemed to notice the confused look on his face.

"I get it but…" His voice must have shown his confusion.

"I'm sorry, I'll try to be clearer. It's hard to explain… All people of Spira were taught the ways of Yevon, the Summoners, and Sin when they were children. You don't know any more then what you learned on the pilgrimage. I forget that, sometimes…" Pausing, she looked up in front of her down the spanning tunnel.

"We can still feel the power that used to be here, and in some places, that is still here. It'll take years for the power to disappear completely, with the Fayth gone. Just like in Macalania Temple. The Aeon Shiva had been there for hundreds of years, and the power she'd held seemed into the woods. The surrounding area turned to ice and the trees became crystalline in appearance. But now… Now that Shiva is gone, the forest is disappearing along with the magic. Within a few years… It'll be gone forever. It's the same way with all the other magic of Yevon and the Fayth still in Spira."

"So that's why this Fayth has been calling you."

Yuna nodded.

"I think so. She can sense the magic fading, but she's still bound here somehow. If all the Summoners die, they'll be no one left with the power to send her. She'll be left alone forever, while all the magic of the Fayth and Yevon disappear into the Farplane." Yuna paused for a long moment, staring sightlessly ahead of her. Finally, she spoke again, so softly Tidus could barely hear her. "I'm the youngest of the last Summoners. I'll be the one to watch it all disappear and see all the other Summoners die before me." She looked down to the floor.

He wanted to comfort her, somehow, but he knew there was nothing that could change reality. She could be right, if she lived out to be old… She would be the last. Summoners would always be remembered, but the tradition and their power would fade away into time. Just like Zanarkand. Just like Sin, Yevon, Guardians, so many things. Spira was facing a new age. Al Bhed were more accepted, Yevon's traditions were dying, and the people of Spira were becoming closer linked.

_'She's terrified.'_ He finally realized, watching her look back up to check the nearby walls for any sign of… anything. _'All she's ever known… It's going away, and changing.'_

"Don't worry about it Yuna… maybe change is what Spira needs." The words sounded silly, useless, meaningless. He fought to find the right words to make it all better for her, to make her smile again. Nothing came.

She looked back up at him, and the hint of a sad smile played on her lips. "You're right. Spira needs change. Now maybe the people can be happier, and we can finally work together to repair all the damage from Sin."

_'Another change for Spira… First Sin destroyed Zanarkand, now Sin has been destroyed and for the first time Spira can try to go back to what it was. But what if the same thing happens again?'_ A sudden chill ran down his spine as he thought silently. '_The Youth League and New Yevon are already nearly fighting… Council or not. Yuna can't unite Spira alone, no matter how much they love her. No matter how hard she tries they'll keep fighting… Just like in Zanarkand. We didn't have anything to fear, so we feared each other. Sin united Spira… but now…'_

Yuna looked over to him, curiosity in her soft eyes. She could tell he was thinking.

_'What if war comes back to Spira? What if it all happens over again?'_

For a fraction of a second, his thoughts went to what Yuna had said about Shuyin and Lenne. Their fate, because of war… And why were they so connected to him and Yuna anyway?

He didn't like the thought of it at all, and his face threatened to cloud over. Somehow he managed to contain himself, and smiled a little at her.

"Oh, nothing… I was just thinking about Spira's future." He said hurriedly, perhaps too quickly. She seemed to see something in his eyes, but didn't mention it. She nodded once, softly, then looked back to the walls around them.

_'Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe she'll be strong enough to keep Spira together. But… It's not fair everything lies on her.'_ He sighed aloud, too quietly for her to hear. '_And Lenne and Shuyin… whatever they are… or were… they're gone now. Maybe it was just a strange coincidence.'_

For some reason, he didn't quite believe it, but he pushed the thought away just the same.

_'I shouldn't be worrying about that. Yuna's got enough to worry about, she's gone through enough. She has to be happy, I'll make sure she's happy.'_

"What's that?" She said suddenly, breaking his train of thought, though he was thankful for the distraction.

"What's what?" He echoed, frowning as he looked to where she was pointing.

They'd come to the end of the tunnel at last. Tidus remembered that much, the tunnel had ended and hadn't gone any further. Just a dead end. He'd even told her when they'd entered it, there wasn't much point in looking.

But, against all logic, there it was. A large hole in the wall, leading off into another tunnel. It seemed freshly made somehow, and Tidus knew it hadn't been there when they'd been there before.

Yuna came to a stop in front of the black hole, peering into the murky darkness beyond. No lights illuminated the darkness, which seemed odd as all the other tunnels in Mt.Gagazat had the strange glowing stones.

"This is new." He said quietly, frowning. Something about it seemed very… wrong. He couldn't place it, but for some reason it was giving him the creeps. Just like the underground in Bevelle, though not quite as eerie.

"Are you sure?" She looked back up at him, saw him nod, then returned her gaze to the entrance. "Well, let's go then!" She started into the darkness, and he barely had time to reach forward and grab her wrist before she was eaten up by the shadows.

"What's wrong?" Yuna blinked in surprise, looking up at him as she stopped.

He didn't say anything for a moment, instead just stared at the darkness in front of them. Nothing seemed wrong. It was just another tunnel, a new one, too new for any of the stones to… appear? Grow? Whatever it was they did? But that wasn't it. It wasn't the darkness that was bothering him, he'd never been afraid of the dark. Just something… was wrong.

"I don't know." He said finally, still frowning. "But I don't think we should go in."

She looked from him, back to the tunnel. It seemed she wasn't feeling anything.

"It seems fine to me. We better check it out, this is the last place we haven't looked."

He wanted to argue, to drag her away from the horrible tunnel, but he knew her logic couldn't be ignored. They had to check everywhere. They had to get that screaming out of her head and stop the fiends running rampart around Spira.

But…

"Okay." He said, against all of his instincts. She smiled at him a little, then fished in the small pocket on her belt.

"A dress sphere?" He asked, tilting his head.

She nodded, taking out a tiny black sphere with a strange fire in the center. Without saying a word, she activated the sphere with one of the small grids she carried, and swiftly changed from being a gunner, to a black mage. When she was finished, she twirled her staff in her hands with a small smile, then peeked up at him from under her hat.

"So what was that for?" He asked, curious and somewhat amused by her cute appearance.

"For this." Stepping back, she twirled her staff again and softly spoke a few words. As she spoke, a flame erupted from her staff and formed into a perfect ball, which went to over above her staff silently and with surprisingly little heat. The fireball cast a strong light around them, entering the tunnel and scaring away the shadows.

He was impressed. She'd been thinking ahead while he'd been worrying how they were going to explore the darkness.

"Okay, let's go." She smiled, holding her staff in front of her and directing the fireball.

Together they entered the tunnel, Tidus staying close beside her. Fireball or not, the tunnel still held something 'wrong', and no matter how he tried, he couldn't shake the feeling.

"What do you think made this?" Tidus finally said, after a few moments of walking in the uneventful tunnel. It seemed like all the others in appearance, save the lack of glow stones.

Yuna shrugged a little. "Maybe this was just caved in when you came by before? Maybe something opened it up. Or maybe it had something to do with the Fayth disappearing."

She wasn't sure. He wasn't sure. She didn't think it was odd. He wanted to run the other direction.

Sighing, he felt his hand brushing Brotherhood's hilt. The sword was strapped to his back as usual, comfortably and strangely light. He shouldn't be worried about it. Yuna had defeated Sin, so had he. What could the possibly run into that would be harder then that?

_'We had everyone else there though.'_ He thought grimly. _'Lulu, Wakka, Auron, Kimarhi, Rikku… even Cid and the others were standing by.'_

"I think we're going up." Yuna spoke suddenly, peering over at the wall beside them. As Tidus was thrown again from his thoughts, he realized she was right. It was harder going then it had been before, it wasn't level anymore.

"Maybe we'll find another way out. Then we won't have to go back through all those tunnels." Tidus tried to sound hopefully and drag himself away from dark thoughts. It didn't really help.

"I think I can feel fresh air… maybe you're right." She smiled, a genuine smile. She wanted to get out of here as badly as he did.

_'And maybe one day we'll find other ways to spend time, instead of running around dark caves.'_ He through with a shudder as they continued to walk in the eerie silence.

Around them the walls continued to span forward, slowly but surely moving apart and opening up into a larger tunnel. Coming to a stop, they looked around and found themselves in a large circular chamber, seemingly naturally formed. The fireball's light just barely pierced the dark corners of the chamber, while the ceiling remained in shadow.

"Can you see anything?" Yuna looked to the walls, moving the fireball closer to get a better look at them. He shook his head, looking everywhere he could. It seemed perfectly natural. No sign that anyone had ever been there before.

"No." He said with a sigh, after they had walked the whole expanse of the room twice. "I don't see anything."

Yuna sighed as well, looking disappointed. "I wonder where the fresh air is coming from…" She said faintly, looking up above them into the shadows that concealed the ceiling.

"Probably from some crack up there." He shrugged, feeling quite anxious suddenly. "Let's go, Yuna."

She paused, still looking around at the cavern's walls. "Maybe we should look once more…"

"Yuna, we have to go, now." He didn't know why, nothing seemed wrong. She looked up at him with a faint frown of confusion and worry. He took her hand gently and started towards the tunnel they'd entered.

"What's wrong?" She asked, letting him drag her along.

"I don't know. Something's not right." He looked around them, into the shadows. There wasn't anything there. He couldn't even smell or hear anything that seemed out of place. It was just a normal cavern.

Something moved. A light sound drifted through the air, like that of stiff brushes on stone.

Nearly jumping out of his skin he kept his hold on Yuna's hand and looked behind them. "Did you hear that?"

She blinked, starting to shake her head when something moved again, and the sound grew louder. She stopped short and looked around above them. "Yes." She whispered faintly, holding his hand tighter. The fireball above them flickered, growing weaker. The spell was dying.

"Let's get out of here." He turned around and started to dash for the tunnel, Yuna in tow, when something very large landed on the stone in front of them with a sickeningly loud flop.

They stopped dead in their tracks, staring at the darkness in front of them. The fireball was going out, the light beginning to fade. She quickly began to cast the spell over, somehow remaining calm.

Tidus almost felt calm as well, somehow, now that whatever it was that had been bothering him confronted them. Now he didn't feel as if he was being… stalked or hunted.

The light flared up again, and revealed something of a nightmare in front of them.

For the first time, Tidus saw Yuna blanch and look as though she wanted to scream, though kept silent. He couldn't blame her, for the creature nearly had the same effect on him.

They'd fought Malboro's before. Huge, disgusting, formidable creatures. After a while they'd worked out a system to protect themselves from the various toxins. The fights had become easy. Though they were still disgusting in appearance, they weren't frightening because of the fact they knew they could be killed.

But this particular Malboro, made Tidus feel as if he was a little child again, wanting desperately to crawl under the covers to hide from the monster that waited under the bed.

By no means was it a regular Malboro, that was certain. It was bigger, and more loathsome. It had to be one of the mutated fiends, twisted by whatever the Fayth was doing to them. And probably crazed, by the look in it's glowing stalk eyes.

It gashed it's teeth a few times, sending a horrible sound grating through the air. The eye stalks, moving constantly along with the countless tentacles that made it's legs and 'body', seemed to burn holes into him.

It hissed once, long strands of toxin filled saliva dripping from its mouth onto the floor.

He looked over to Yuna, keeping one eye on the nightmare.

She looked paralyzed, her eyes riveted to the creature and her face showing pure fear. Something about it was hitting her deep. She'd never liked malboros when they'd fought them before. But this one…

"Yuna, it's blocking our exit." He whispered as loud as he dared, as the Malboro's tentacles waved at them as if in anticipation to a meal.

Her voice was very quiet and almost shaking. "We have to fight."

His hand strayed for Brotherhood as she slowly reached for her sphere grid. Though she was still afraid, it seemed she still clung to the calm, collected manner she always had. He wondered how in Spira she managed to keep calm in situations like these.

"I'm going to change to a White Mage. To keep us safe from the… toxin." As she spoke she was already changing, into a outfit he'd never seen on her before but somehow seemed familiar and very… well, Yuna-like. Had there not been the malboro standing only a few meters away, he would have taken a better look.

Twirling her staff, the same staff she'd had when she was a Summoner, he noticed with a twinge, she carefully cast a spell around them both. He could feel a surge of refreshing magic inside of him, and already he felt stronger. He'd have to be, he thought grimly. This was his fight. Yuna had to protect them both, and stay in the back. Just like old times.

Except, they didn't have the others with them, nor did Yuna have the choice to call Aeons to help if things got thick.

Tidus took a deep breath, and unsheathed Brotherhood.

Seeing the movement, the malboro suddenly moved forward and a speed that seemed impossibly fast for a creature so big and awkward.

Behind him he could hear Yuna begin to cast another spell.

"Come on ugly, let's see what you've got!" He shouted at it, knowing it'd make no difference what so ever to the fiend, but feeling a little stronger for it.

Before he could think, the fiend was inches away and the tentacles were reaching for him. Putting aside everything else, he focused on the fight, adrenaline rushing through his veins.

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AN:

So there we have it, another half chapter… next one coming soon as I can do it, and I promise, no more half chapters. Next one will be MUCH longer, I plan to stick a lot in it.


	18. Chapter 17 Back to the End

-head-clunk onto desk- Gah… well. That was interesting. Sorry for such the long delay… had three times the amount of company arrive then was anticipated, so I didn't get a chance to write ANYTHING. And the last few days I've been free I sort of fell back into my depression pit and… eh… took me a little while to get out of it. Can never write when I'm like that, especially not stuff like this. Just haven't been able to write ANYTHING lately. But it's all fine now, and the chapter is done… and more on the way. This story is becoming very long, I think I keep saying that, but in any case, it's probably going to be about… maybe… don't quote me on this… ten chapters longer. Yes, I have come to the conclusion, I am crazy. But I love writing this story and I have a story to tell in it. I think I ranted about this before. I can't remember. Gah! In any case, I hope you guys don't mind it being so long.

Another reason it took a while, I didn't want to give in and just upload a half chapter again. So this is a more or less full chapter.

And yes it has become sort of a save the world thing again, hasn't it? Though that was never my intention… oh well… Guess it's a little late now.

In reply to comments :

(can't remember from who, too tired to check right now, I'm sorry, I'll reply to any I missed next time, promise)

I know Yuna and Tidus are a bit out of character… and I feel bad about that… mostly it's because I haven't been in the mood sometimes, a friend borrowed FFX-2 so I have nothing to reference from right now, and… Well, personally, I never saw Yuna as one to be so cheerful and bouncy as she was in FFX-2, so I on purpose tried to make her a little more FFX like. Not totally, but a little. To me she was a bit too much like Rikku in FFX-2, even though yes, she was a Gullwing and she was happy, there was something about her that still seemed to give off that sad, old Yuna. As for Tidus… I have trouble writing happy characters, I'll admit, and also, I got the impression in FFX he was never completely carefree and worry-less. (Is that even a word?? Can't think right now) There were times in FFX when he worried about Yuna and everything, when he was serious and wasn't all bouncy. I know, I've probably overdone that in this fic, but… well, things are sort of different, I saw. They both know he could disappear, and though they want to be happy, there's that fear anyway. So I just thought it'd be more realistic in a way to make them more… serious, maybe. More the style of FFX, perhaps, then FFX-2. … Okay, long winded rant aside, yeah. That's just how I saw the story, and how I wanted to write it. But thank you anyway for the input, there were a few things I didn't like and I should have straightened out… maybe when this fic is finally finished I'll edit it a bit and post it as a final, complete, special edition, finished version. Sort of like a directors cut thing XD

Thank you ALL again for the wonderful comments, they really keep me going.

As usual, I don't own FFX or FFX-2.

Next chapter should be up in about a week, I hope. But I can't make any promises because this time of year is very hectic for me. But I promise, this long wait for updates, ends soon. During the fall and winter I won't be THAT busy, and I'll be more inclined to write things.

And yes, aren't Malboros awful? They're the only creature from any game I've ever played (and I've played quite a few creepy games) that have made me want to turn off the game and go sit in a well lit room. One would thing that having such a phobia of the things would make me not include one in my story… but I thought it fit. And don't worry… yes… Yuna and Tidus will be getting a break of sorts soon, no worries. Fluff mania! Whee! But not yet. Unfortunately, this chapter, they still have to deal with the Malboro. I'm too cruel….

Anyway, long long long intro finished, here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy.

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Chapter 17 

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"Look out!" Tidus heard Yuna's cry just in time to skip backwards a step. The Malboro's tentacle whipped through the air, just short of tripping him. The beast, seemingly unhappy it missed, uttered a long, low screech and recoiled its tentacles for another assault.

Raising one arm to shield his face, Tidus took the blow standing, but ended up falling backwards from the force. The tentacle left a glob of slime on his arm, which quickly started to itch. Shuddering he stumbled back up, shaking the gunk off his arm as he looked up to the beast in front of him.

It's endlessly smiling mouth seemed to mock him, as it gashed its teeth together enthusiastically and curled an eyestalk to peer at him.

"Are you okay?" Yuna asked meekly from somewhere behind him, and he gave a quick nod. The itching was slowly going away, no doubt it was poisoned, but not enough to slow him down. Not yet.

"Save your magic, I'll be fine." He spoke quickly, his eyes never leaving the Malboro. She was smart, she understood what he meant. Leave it till he was worse off, don't heal minor wounds.

Still, the itching was a distraction, and if the situation had been different he wouldn't have stopped her.

As Yuna took her place back behind him, looking determined to help yet frightened at the same time, Tidus braced himself back into a combat stance. It wasn't something he was really used to, even after traveling with Yuna and the others. He'd never been a warrior, he'd been a blitzer. True he was strong from all the swimming he'd done, but he'd never trained to become a warrior until Auron handed him that sword. He dimly recalled the memory. It seemed like decades ago.

Gripping Brotherhood tight, he held it up in front of him, watching the fiend in front of him carefully. Watch its movements, get ready for its strike. Kill it before it kills you. Don't let it hit you. Auron had never been very good at giving advice. Beyond that brief instruction, he'd been on his own. Watch and learn. He'd soon realized the style of fighting he used was nothing like Auron's careful, heavily practiced style. He'd developed his own as they'd traveled. Something between the movements of a blitzer and the movements of a swordsman.

It seemed to be effective. He'd gotten this far by it.

A screech sounded off the next wave of attacks, as the Malboro launched forward with uncanny speed and nearly succeeded in biting his arm. Jumping out of the way in a rather ungraceful manner, Tidus barely managed to keep from falling flat on his face. Unfortunately, the Malboro had seemingly predicted this, and another tentacle was ready to greet him when he stopped moving.

He slashed out awkwardly with Brotherhood, but he was unbalanced and the blade hit the tentacle at an angle. A slash, but it didn't sever it. The Malboro screeched and the tentacle, oozing the sickly green blood, wrapped around his leg.

Before he could even react the tentacle yanked backwards and sent him crashing on his back. Another tentacle grabbed his arm and tried to keep Brotherhood away from its body as the mouth gashed in anticipation.

_'Some warrior…'_

Though it was his thought, it was the voice of his father who spoke it, in his head. Not something his father had said, merely, a remaining memory Tidus had unconsciously fitted together with a thought. A real memory or not, it urged him on. He wasn't going to lose to this thing, he was a warrior. He'd protect Yuna.

Struggling against the tentacle, he felt the blood from its wound begin to ooze onto his skin. The itching suddenly turned to blinding pain and he nearly yelped aloud. The pain spurring a sudden fear and adrenaline rush, he yanked his arm free from the tentacle and hacked out with Brotherhood in a clumsy yet effective manner.

A tentacle fell to the ground, then another, and finally a third, before the Malboro released his leg with a great wail and retreated.

Gasping for air and realizing how close he'd come, Tidus quickly rose to his feet and wiped the blood of his arm the best he could. The pain ebbed slightly, but not enough for him to be comfortable.

"Tidus, let me-" Yuna came up beside him, but he shook his head quickly.

"It's okay." He gritted his teeth, taking in a shuddering breath as he hoisted Brotherhood up again and prepared for another assault. Yuna frowned, biting her lip, and looked as though she was going to protest.

"Stay behind me." He hissed, as the Malboro began to stir again, its eye stalks rotating to look to the young woman. He knew she wasn't defenseless, he knew she could match his strength in a fight, but she had no power as a White Mage. And if they wanted to get out of this alive, she had to stay a White Mage to ensure they didn't die. He had to protect her. He had to protect both of them.

She finally stepped away, out of sight somewhere behind him, looking terribly frustrated and worried as she did. She wanted to fight too, he could see that in her eyes. Yuna didn't want to just sit back and watch. Maybe the old Yuna would have, worried and hesitant, standing behind her guardians, but not anymore. The new Yuna wasn't afraid of anything.

_'New. No, that's not right.'_ He thought absently as the Malboro began to edge closer. _'She's not new. She's just grown up. She always wanted to fight, she just wasn't allowed, or she was afraid. Now she's seen what she can do and she's not afraid of anything… But she's still the same kind hearted, gentle Yuna, underneath all that. Still wants to help the world, even though she says she wants her own life.'_ He smiled. Seeing her so happy, seeing her no longer hiding behind a shield of smiles and being who she really wanted to be… It was hardly a new thought, but it still gave him strength.

The Malboro had recovered, and was becoming impatient. It wanted to have its meal, not fight for its life. Hissing furiously it drew back its huge head and spat a large ball of gunk towards Tidus. He dodged, managing to get out of the way of the projectile, only to come face to face with another. The gunk hit him square in the face, burning and itching as it did. Everything went black and for the first time panic set in. He could hear it moving in front of him, coming in for the kill. Ignoring the gunk, ignoring the pain, he held Brotherhood up and slashed as hard as he could. He felt the blade make contact, cut through soft moving flesh, then heard the Malboro's ear piercing screech.

Falling to his knees he dropped Brotherhood and pawed at the stuff on his face, trying to get it out of his eyes. It was no good however, the gunk was incredibly sticky and stuck like glue to his skin. Just as the pain was becoming unbearable, he felt the cool sensation of magic begin to ebb over him.

The magic washed over his body like a wave of water, flowing across the gunk and dissolving it as it went. He felt suddenly peaceful inside, relaxed, calm. He was used to the feeling, it always came with healing. No matter how many times he felt it, he never got tired of the refreshing feeling it gave. As the magic began to die away, he realized he could see again. The gunk that had been on his face was now completely gone, and all the wounds he had accumulated had been sealed. As well as that, he felt renewed energy rushing through his veins, urging him to stand up and fight again.

Yuna drew back, lowering her staff and looking a little tired. He smiled at her, jumping up onto his feet and looking back to the Malboro.

Tidus blinked. He had hit it harder then he had thought.

The Malboro lay on the ground, bleeding profusely from a large wound that ran from its head to its chin. A dull hiss was rising from its throat, and the eye stalks were rotating around in pain.

Frowning, Tidus picked up Brotherhood and took a step forward. There was no point in letting it suffer. As he approached, the Malboros eyes focused on him, and the hiss grew louder. The tentacles began to move again in earnest and the thing, against all logic, began to rise up.

Stopping, Tidus watched it wearily. _'Oh come on and just die already!'_

The Malboro hissed, but didn't die. As he watched, it rose to its full height and began to wave its tentacles wildly in the air. Some of them began to smack at the tunnel walls, knocking bits of rock loose.

A strange sinking feeling entered Tidus's stomach as he watched, but he decided to pay it no heed. Gripping Brotherhood tighter, he prepared for the final strike.

The creature suddenly spat again, but not towards him. He watched as if in slow motion as the gunk flew past him and straight towards Yuna. She saw it, but wasn't able to move fast enough. The stuff hit her shoulder, and knocked her to the ground.

"Yuna!" He cried, torn between going to her side and finishing off the Malboro.

The Malboro decided for him.

As he watched the thing began to wither wildly in death throes, smacking the tunnel walls with its tentacles and causing more rocks to fall. The more it withered, the more rocks fell. Then suddenly, it stopped, and with a great screech threw itself into the side of the tunnel.

The force sent a rumble through the entire cavern, and immediately the cave tunnel began to shake. As Tidus watched helplessly, the Malboro collapsed in a heap, and above it, the tunnel began to cave in. The way out. He could make it, if he ran, though there was a good chance one of the rocks would crush him.

The thought however, didn't even cross his mind as a possibility. Tearing his eyes away from the cave in, he turned and ran over to where Yuna lay. Shielding her from the dust that began to fill the air with his body, he looked at her shoulder and frowned.

"I'm fine… Most of it missed." Yuna managed, through gritted teeth. Missed or not, she was clearly in pain. "I can heal it."

Tidus looked back behind them and his frown deepened. The rumbling was starting to come to an end, but the tunnel behind them was gone. With its death, the Malboro had ensured its prey would die too. Disturbingly smart for a fiend.

"What happened?" Yuna asked, her eyes shut no doubt from the dust was settling in the air.

He squinted, peering at the rocks in the dim light the fireball above them provided. It was completely sealed. By the sound of it, most of the tunnel had caved in. There'd be no getting out that way.

Sighing, Tidus looked back to Yuna. "The tunnel caved in."

Her eyes snapped open.

A eye of emerald and a eye of sapphire asked a wordless question.

"We can't get out that way." He answered with a sigh, looking back behind them. Now what were they going to do?

Yuna slowly sat up, aided by Tidus's arm. When she was finally sitting up properly, she raised her hands and closed her eyes. Chanting something Tidus couldn't catch, her hands began to glow and he saw the familiar tendrils of magic flow out from them. As he watched, the healing magic took away the gunk that had landed on her shoulder, just the way it had saved him.

When the spell was finished, Yuna lowered her hands and opened her eyes. She looked tired again, though not to the point of collapsing.

"Let's look for a way out of here." She announced with a determined air, standing up beside him and brushing her robe flat. Reaching into her robe she plucked out another dress sphere, one Tidus recognized without having to even look very closely. The gunner sphere. If they had to fight again, she wanted to prepare.

After she was finished, they began to search the cavern. As it had been on the first inspection, it was empty and had no interesting or strange features. It was simply a deserted cavern. Probably just the home of the malboro, dug open by the fiend itself when it'd become mutated. Or perhaps it was something else entirely, Tidus had no idea and couldn't bring himself to wonder any further.

"Do you see anything at all?" Yuna said with a sigh, after a long moment had passed without either of them saying anything. He shook his head slowly, looking in all directions around them.

"I still feel fresh air though…" Yuna frowned, looking around to the cavern wall. "There has to be some way out."

Now that she mentioned it, he could feel it too. A very faint, cool breeze drifted in the silent air, piercing the stuffy cave.

"Maybe there's a crack somewhere." Tidus began to look up an down the wall, as far as the fireball illuminated. It appeared to just be a smooth rock face. Nothing special, no cracks or tunnels.

But Yuna was determined, looking up and down closely and inspecting every shadow.

As she moved down one side of the wall, he began down the other. The further he got away from the fireball, the dimmer the light became. Soon it was impossible for him to tell if he was seeing shadows or holes. By the look on Yuna's face, she was having the same problem.

"I guess we'll have to look together." He tried to smile, but they both knew that'd take longer. Not that there was any hurry to get out, but Tidus had the feeling they'd been down here longer then they knew. Rikku and Paine might start getting worried, or worse, a fiend might pop out of the dark again.

Yuna smiled a little, but looked more optimistic then despairing. She knew there was a way out, she just had to find it. Seeing her look so sure of herself made his own optimism revive. With a new found energy, he stood beside her and looked as far up the wall as he could.

"What's that?" He said suddenly, squinting. Yuna immediately stopped and turned her head upwards.

"What's what?" She blinked, moving the fireball with a gesture of her hand to rise higher. When the strong light reached the area in question, Tidus felt his heart leap.

"There! An opening in the wall!"

Yuna squinted, standing on tip toe to see. "You're right!" She cried excitedly, looking pleased. "But how are we going to get up?"

Tidus paused and realized the problem. It was about twice his height, and they didn't have any rope or tools to scale the wall surface. "Good question." He said, a little more grimmer then he had intended.

Yuna sighed, but she wasn't giving up. Staring up at the hole, he could see just from her eyes her mind was racing.

_'She could stand on my shoulders, she might be able to reach it… But then what? She wouldn't be able to reach me to help me up. It may not even be a tunnel, maybe just a crack.'_ Frowning, Tidus looked around the cavern. Nothing but rocks littered the floor. Nothing to help them scale a smooth rock face.

"Is there any dress spheres that would help?" He asked finally, at a loss.

Yuna thought for a moment, then slowly shook her head. "No, nothing I can think of." Sighing, she sat down on the floor and leaned her back against the wall. Her face showed what she felt, frustration. But still, a scrap of optimism, of hope. It was a puzzle, and she was going to solve it.

No, they'd both solve it.

He sat down beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder almost unconsciously. She leaned closer to him, staring into the darkness blankly.

"There has to be something…" She muttered faintly, shaking her head.

"We'll find it." He smiled, hugging her tighter.

Now if only he could do just that.

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Yuna yawned, fighting to keep her eyes open. She'd lost all track of time in the darkness. The fireball still burned brightly above them, but the silence and coldness of the cave was timeless. Beside her Tidus sat awake and alert. He was watching the darkness as if it were some kind of fiend.

_'Why can't I think of anything?'_

She'd gone over all the possibilities. Nothing seemed to be possible, nothing at all. They didn't even know if there was a real way out up there. The more she thought about it, the more discouraged she got. But she wasn't about to let herself show it. She'd keep smiling, to keep their hopes up.

She'd been optimistic earlier, but now…

Yuna sighed ever so quietly, but Tidus heard it anyway. He looked over at her, and saw her 'smile'.

"Yuna… We'll get out of here."

She knew. But why couldn't she believe it? Why was she despairing so easily? Maybe because she was tired. Tired of all the fighting and the adventure and the danger. When things had been so quiet after her journey, she had wanted adventure again. But it'd been because she was alone. He had disappeared, Rikku had left to go with the Al Bhed, to teach the rest of Spira about machina. Lulu and Wakka had gotten married, they'd had no time for her. And then Kimarhi had left to become the leader of the remaining, orphaned Ronso. They'd needed him more then she'd needed him. But it'd left her feeling alone. For two years she'd been alone with her thoughts and her memories. She'd craved a distraction. Rikku had offered that with the Gullwings.

But now… She was starting to feel she had had her fill. She'd fought so many battles, seen so many things, it was becoming a blur. There were happy memories, and there were sad ones. She loved them all dearly, but she was growing tired of it. But she'd never wanted to give up searching, give up hope. She'd never wanted to settle into a normal life. Perhaps she still didn't. But…

She looked up at him, looking into his perfect eyes. She'd never be alone again. She felt it deep inside of her. If she went on another journey one day, he would be there. If she never went on a journey again and settled into a quiet life, as quiet as the High Summoner could lead, he'd be there. He'd always be there. She was sure.

Hugging him suddenly, she buried her face in his shoulder. He returned the hug, though she could feel his puzzlement. She couldn't find the words to speak aloud her thoughts. Not yet. But she had a feeling that he knew just the same.

They sat like that for a long time, and Yuna allowed herself to forget the situation they were in. She was aware only of being there, with him. Hearing his heart beat. He wasn't a dream. He wasn't a dream…

The silence had to be broken sometime, she knew. But she still felt sad when it was.

"Yuna… I have an idea."

She lifted her head to look up at him. "What is it?"

Tidus slowly stood, helping her up as he did.

"I'm going to lift you up, so you can go get help."

She frowned at him, shaking her head. "I'm not leaving you here alone."

"Yuna, it may be the only thing we can do."

She sighed, looking down to the ground. "You're right. I had thought of it, but…"

It wasn't entirely that she didn't want to leave him alone. She didn't want to be alone. She wasn't afraid of facing fiends, or crawling through a dark cave. But she was afraid of being alone. Not having him beside her.

He saw it, but they both knew there was nothing to be done.

"Come on, I'll lift you up." He carefully took her by her waist and hoisted her up to his shoulders, allowing her to gently place her feet on top of them. Leaning against the wall he grabbed her ankles and boosted her up the rest of the way.

Yuna grasped the edge of the hole and pulled herself up. It was difficult, but she managed. When she was finally on the ledge, she was able to take a good look at the hole.

Her heart leapt. It was a tunnel! The light of the fireball showed that it was a narrow, jagged tunnel that ran up. Up was where they wanted to be. She could feel the fresh air on her face. Yes, it was a way out.

"Tidus, there's a tunnel. It looks big enough to get through." She called, looking over the ledge and down at him. He grinned, waving his hand.

"Great! Get going!"

She paused, looking to the tunnel, then back down to him. "But…"

"Yuna, there's no way I can get up." He sighed, putting his hand back down.

It was true. She'd never be able to reach him, and even if she could, it'd be a bad angle for her to pull him up. She wasn't even sure she'd be strong enough.

"What about the rubble? Maybe you could pile some up to stand?" She offered, a sudden idea coming to her mind. Why hadn't she thought of that before? She was too worried about the cave-in to think about what it had created.

"…I guess we could try." He sounded just as surprised as she was at the idea. "But I don't think I'll be able to get much free." Without saying another word he turned around and headed towards where the tunnel have caved in. Yuna directed the fireball to follow him, and she was suddenly lost in the darkness.

Sitting alone in the dark, she felt suddenly very afraid and very alone. She could barely hear the sound of his footsteps, moving further and further away. Shivering, she hugged her knees and waited, trying to ignore the creeping feeling that was making its way down her back.

After what seemed like an eternity, the light returned, Tidus with it.

"Anything?" She asked, frowning in concern.

"I couldn't get anything free. Most of the rocks are too huge to carry anyway, and even if I could, they're wedged in tight." He sighed, shaking his head. "Yuna, just go. I'll be fine."

She couldn't. She just couldn't leave him.

"There has to be something…" She groaned, leaning her head on the rock wall behind her.

Tidus was silent, staring up at the wall and crossing his arms absently.

Yuna opened her eyes again, looking around her at the tunnel that opened up before her. She could go, he was right. It was probably the right thing to do, the sensible thing. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make herself stand up and take that first step.

"Maybe I can reach you…" Her voice trailed off. And then what? She'd pull him up? How would she anchor herself and get enough strength to help him up? She was stronger then she'd ever been, but still… He was bigger then she was.

"I could try to climb it." He said, half heartedly. They'd both seen the wall, it was slick and smooth. No good for climbing.

"It's too smooth." She said aloud, uselessly. Why couldn't she think?

He sighed. "I'll try anyway." There was a determination in his voice, one that almost surprised her. She'd forgotten he could be like that. "But I'm going to need help if I get up that far."

"Okay." She leaned over the edge and watched him as he approached the wall. He was still frowning, but in his eyes burned a stubborn light. He was doing this for her, because he didn't want to leave her alone. And maybe partly it was he didn't want to be alone either.

The first attempt was a failure. He found no footing on the smooth surface and merely slid back down to the ground. But he didn't give up, and after many a trial and error, finally found some hidden crack in the wall with a toe, then a hand, and slowly, he was making his way up, impossibly. Like a spider, almost, but not as graceful.

Yuna almost laughed, but she was too worried about trying to help him up to act on it. As he edged up closer, inch by painful, long inch, she leaned further over the edge and reached her arms out below. Almost, almost…

He lost a footing, and began to slid down. But he didn't let himself. Giving one last push he leaped up to the wall and by some strange miracle, grabbed the ledge with his fingers.

Yuna grabbed him faster then she'd though she'd been able to, just as he was already beginning to lose his hold. Wrapping her hands around his wrists she pulled as hard as she could, amused in the back of her mind that their roles had been reversed from before.

It was hard work, but she wasn't pulling all his weight. He was pulling himself up, digging his feet into the wall, somehow managing up. It seemed to take an impossible age, but after a few moments of pulling and climbing, he was up beside her.

The collapsed side by side on the ledge, panting for breathe. Still afraid she'd let him fall, Yuna's hands were still wrapped around his, so tight it hurt.

"That was fun. Can we do it again?" He grinned at her, after a minute of silence. She frowned, then unable to help it laughed. Finally she let go of his hands, but it took a great effort to do it.

"I can't believe you actually did it." She said after a moment, watching him as he stood up and dusted himself off.

"Hey, you helped." He gave her another grin. Within that short period of time, he had regained his good humor and his brightness. But then, she wasn't entirely surprised. He'd been able to do it before. They'd fight some fearsome fiend, and then he'd be happy as a bird afterwards. He seemed to get some thrill out of facing danger. Until the danger got serious. Until she got endangered.

"Okay, I've had enough of this cave. Let's get out of here." He reached for her hand, then stopped.

"What's wrong?" She blinked, staring at her hand. Then regretted it.

The wounds from the sphere shards had healed, mostly. But the recent battle and then helping him climb up had not done them any good. In fact, they looked as though they were going to start bleeding.

Tidus frowned, helping her up gently by the wrist instead, carefully not to touch her hands.

"The dress spheres, they don't like strange fabric. If I'd bandaged them, it just would have come off anyway." She shrugged a little bit, closing her hands. It stung, but she'd live.

"We'll put that gunk on it again when we get back." Tidus grinned a bit, at the word gunk. Yuna shivered.

"Don't say that!" She hissed, grinning in spite of the horror that still remained in her mind from the fight. Malboros never ceased to strike fear into her heart, not to mention disgust.

"Well, let's see where this goes." Tidus continued to grin, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. Only then did she tell he was shaking a little. She looked to his face in question but he just kept grinning. Holding her tighter, he began to walk towards the tunnel that stood before them, winding up into the darkness.

Yuna followed by his side, not wanting him to let go. It was a comfort, in the darkness. It made everything seem less terrifying.

_'We still haven't found the Fayth… but maybe we're getting closer. Maybe Rikku and Paine had better luck then we did.' _She thought to herself, listening to her mind to hear for screams. The scream droned on as usual, but was rather quiet. Easy to ignore, though she had a slight headache. The fiend had seemed to make it worse, as if she was closer to the Fayth when she fought the fiends that had been driven mad by it.

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They were out.

Fresh, cool air greeted them, something Tidus never thought he could miss so much. It wasn't as light as he would like, but it was better then the void of darkness they had just been in.

They stood on the ledge that overlooked Zanarkand, a view that had surprised them when they'd first came out of the crack. For a moment Tidus had thought he'd been dreaming, but no, it was Zanarkand. Somehow they'd managed to travel all the way across the mountain, and had just happened to come out on the ledge going down to its ruins.

"It's already twilight." Yuna said softly, looking out over the ruins and at the sun that was slowly descending into them.

_'We were down there all day. No wonder we're tired.'_

"I guess we better start heading back." Tidus said absently, torn between wanting to stare at the ruins and wanting to turn away from them. They were beautiful, but painful. So many memories were connected to them, and most of them were sad. He'd once lived there. Somewhere in those ruins, he could probably find the house he and his mother had lived in. The places where he'd gone to eat, to buy clothes, to practice blitz. Now it was all ruins, and though he'd seen it before, it was still hard to see.

Then there was the memories of Yuna's pilgrimage. He'd been so anxious to get to Zanarkand, he'd talked about it so much, and he'd never known till they go there what was in store for Yuna. By that time… He didn't want to go home anymore.

Yuna didn't say anything, just stared out at the ruins. She looked as though she was thinking too, so he kept quiet. They both needed time to think, after all that darkness.

"I…" Yuna started, so softly he barely heard her. He turned to look at her, and suddenly was reminded of a younger Yuna. Two years ago. She looked exactly the same way, though perhaps a little less sad.

"I want to come back here. After…" She didn't have to say it, they both knew.

_'After this Fayth business is over.'_

He nodded once.

She continued to stare out at the ruins. "So much has happened." Her voice spoke quietly, softly, echoing words she'd said before.

"I never thought I'd be here again, with you." Yuna turned her head a little to look at him, a soft smile in her face. She looked as though she were struggling for words.

"We'll come here again. After it's over."

She smiled a little more. "Then we can… talk." The word meant so many things. Sad things, happy things, things they needed to sort out between them. What he was. What would happen. What they were. What was in the future.

"Yeah." He nodded again, giving her a soft smile.

"But first we have to do this." Sighing, she looked away finally from the ruins, and back towards the path that would lead them to Mt.Gagazat again. Where they'd join up with Rikku and Paine.

_'I sure hope they found something.'_ He thought grimly, seeing the slight pain in Yuna's eyes.

There was nothing more to be said. Yuna began to walk down the path, but suddenly stopped. Tidus paused behind her, tilting his head.

Slowly she turned, looking up at him. There were tears streaking down her face, tinted orange in the twilight.

"I love you." She whispered so softly he barely caught it, and she threw her arms around his neck with surprising grace. She was holding him tightly, her eyes closed as she kissed him gently. He returned it, and stroked her hair softly. She was shaking, and he could tell she was trying to throw off bad memories that had clung to her for far too long. Sad, horrible, tiring memories. Things that needed to be left behind.

They stood for a long moment, saying nothing, holding each other. For once Tidus felt a calm wash over him, and he wasn't worried about anything. Zanarkand, the Aeons, the Fayth, Sin, everything that had ever been a burden, was simply gone. It was just him, and Yuna.

"I love you too." He whispered softly, closing his eyes.__

Alas, he knew it was too precious a moment to last.

Something beeped on Yuna's neck.

She let out a sigh, and slowly unwrapped her arms from around his neck. She looked better, the tears gone from her eyes. But she looked a little annoyed.

Clicking on the transmitter, she cleared her throat and replied.

"Yuna here."

"Yunie! Where the heck have you guys been?" Rikku's voice shouted from the speaker, at such a volume Yuna actually winced and turned it down.

"We ran into a little trouble in the caves." She said quietly, sounding a little too calm. She wasn't angry, no, he could tell, but she wasn't particularly happy her cousin had chosen that exact moment to call her.

"We've been trying to contact you for ages! We just spoke to Buddy and he said he hadn't heard from you either. What kind of trouble? Are you guys alright?" Rikku's voice was running at a fast pace, so fast Tidus barely caught half of what was said.

"We're fine now." Yuna said softly, looking up at Tidus and giving the faintest of smiles.

There was a sudden silence on the line, then Paine's voice came on.

"Yuna, it's almost dark. You guys better get back here so we can get on the airship. It'll be even colder at night."

Rikku could be heard in the background, but what she was saying wasn't clear.

"Okay. We're on our way. Yuna out." She abruptly switched the transmitter off, though not in time to miss a wail from Rikku.

Tidus watched her as she tucked the transmitter back into her shirt, then looked up at him.

"Ready?" She said quietly, taking his hand.

"Yeah." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, and they made their way down the ledge towards the caves in a peaceful silence.

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AN:

I really hope this is okay, might be a few mistakes, I'm so tired right now I probably missed a few things, I would wait till tomorrow to proofread it again, but I'm out all weekend so that'd just make this even later to update. So there you have it, action and fluff. Next chapter up soon. Any mistakes, contingency errors, character flaws, etc, you see, point them out and I'll put the corrections into a revised edition of the story I'm planning to do after it's actually finished.


	19. Chapter 18 Interlude in the Springs

Augh… forgive me. The fool I am… I couldn't get to writing this. I got sick, depressed, mindless, sick, and just… over all… completely uninspired to do anything at all. Having finally dragged myself out of it I managed to write this chapter. I'm really really REALLY sorry for how late it is, it makes me sick to think of it. So much for updating sooner. Urgh.

When will the next chapter be up? Oie… I hope soon. But I honestly don't know when. One week, two… HOPEFULLY not three. I'll try hard, I promise. Sometimes I just can't write fanfiction to save my life.

In reply to comments...

YuniX-2, thank you very much for your comment. It's always a struggle to battle off depression and I'm slowly realizing I may just need to get help for it. But it seems to be getting better finally, so maybe there's clear weather ahead for me. Anyhow, as for the fights, I'm glad you like them. You know it's funny, only now that you mentioned accessories did I actually think of them. Aie. Well, maybe I can sneak them into a revised edition, maybe. It might have been a little confusing to add though, along with the dress-spheres... eee, no excuse. I can't believe I forgot. And yes, their 'talk' is going to be at the end of the fic. I've seen both the Japanese and the English endings, I tend to like the Japanese one better... somehow it seems more meaningful when she says thank you. But if I had stuck that in the fic people might have got confused and truth be told... I like fluff. Thanks again for the comment, it's wonderful to hear from people.

Thank you again for all the comments, as usual they're wonderful to read, thank you. I can't tell you how much they mean to me. If I didn't get any feedback, I think I would be tempted to quit.

On that note, I am NOT going to quit, as long as people keep reading this. No matter how long it takes between chapters, I'll keep going. I'm just a slow worker sometimes and now that school's back who knows how many breaks I'll get.

I know I've said this probably a thousand times, but I'll try to get to writing this faster. It only really takes me a couple of hours to write it, I just can't find the time/energy most of the time. Also haven't been writing much lately, on anything, so I'm a bit rusty inspiration wise. But it's starting to get better, so… soon. I'll try to get more up soon.

If this chapter seems rushed, probably because it was. Point out any glaring mistakes/OOCs and I'll try to correct them when I do a revised version at the end. Hopefully by that time I'll also figure out how to upload documents properly on Fanfiction. For the life of me I can't seem to get it to come out right. Maybe it's my program... I hope it's readable. Any suggestions on how to get it to behave would be wonderful.

I don't own FFX or FFX-2 or Square or Spira or Mt.Gagazat or Yuna or... You get the point.

Chatter done. Chapter now.

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Chapter 18 

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"Almost there." Yuna attempted a tired smile in Tidus's direction as she walked down the stone steps beside him. They were nearly out of the caves, after what had seemed an eternity. Soon they'd be at the Fayth Scar, where Rikku and Paine were already waiting.

The journey through the caves had been uneventful compared to their previous encounter with the Malboro. They'd run into a couple of fiends, but mostly of the weaker kind. A few seemed to be twisted, but it wasn't anything the two of them couldn't handle. It'd been more of an annoyance then a danger. Beyond that, the path through the dark caverns was no different then it always was.

"It'll be nice to get some rest." Tidus yawned, stretching his arms out as he walked. "Seems like every day we're going through another crisis." He added, sounding a little amused rather then annoyed. For once though, even he looked a little tired. The spark in his eyes though, was still there, as always. Yuna doubted it'd ever leave, even when he was sad.

"Hopefully it'll be over soon." She sighed somewhat wistfully, her eyes fixed on the tunnel in front of them, at the opening that was slowly coming into view. The air was growing cold again, and Yuna regretted having lost her jacket in the lower tunnels. The robes of the white mage dress-sphere protected her somewhat, but they weren't as thick as she'd like.

Beside her Tidus looked even colder. He too had lost his jacket, and he was now only wearing his usual shorts and jacket like outfit. Granted, he'd worn it before when he'd traveled in Mt.Gagazat, but it still couldn't be comfortable.

"I'm fine." He shrugged, as if reading her thoughts somehow. "We'll be at the airship soon, right? What's a little cold." Grinning, he stepped out of the tunnel and into the open cliff-face. The wind was an icy gust, just short of being a blizzard. Though it wasn't yet snowing, the smell of snow was in the air as always. No doubt a blizzard was on its way.

Yuna shivered under her robes. _'Rikku and Paine better be there.'_ She thought with a grimace as the wind howled by her face. She didn't want to spend anymore time out in the cold then was needed.

Thankfully, it didn't take long to find them.

The pair were waiting exactly where Rikku had said, just below where the cliff rose up into the sky towards the ruins. The air seemed calmer there somehow, as if the rocky cliff face protected it from the wind.

Rikku was impatiently looking around, worry on her face that was clear even at the distance they were. Paine stood nearby, silent and sentinel like, her eyes fixed on the path like a hawk's. As Yuna and Tidus drew nearer, she saw the warrior's head raise. At the movement, Rikku spun around and caught sight of them.

"Yunie!" The Al Bhed shouted, waving her arms at them, as Paine remained as statue like as ever. "What happened to you guys?" She chattered, running up to them as they approached. Her eyes flew to Yuna then to Tidus, and it was evident on her face she was wondering why they weren't wearing their jackets.

"It's kind of a long story." Yuna sighed, hugging her robe tighter to her body. "Can we talk about it later?"

"On the airship. Good idea." Paine nodded, before Rikku could even open her mouth to protest. "I'm sick of standing out in the cold staring at rocks and snow."

Yuna felt her heart sink at the words.

"I take it you guys didn't find anything." Tidus sighed, sounding just as disappointed as Yuna felt.

"Nope." Rikku's shoulders sagged, looking to Yuna sadly. Yuna tried to keep the disappointment out of her face, tried to keep smiling. But it was hard, and it wasn't working. Rikku knew she was putting on a mask, they all did. But still, she tried, perhaps by forced habit.

"I'm sorry Yunie, we looked everywhere! We couldn't find anything at all. Just rocks and snow." Her cousin's shoulders sagged even lower, and her eyes went to the ground. "Buddy said he scanned the ruins while we were looking down here." A sigh escaped her lips in a cloud of puffy white. "They didn't find anything either."

"So… there's no where else to look?" Yuna said quietly, after a long moment of silence.

"We've looked all over the mountain." Rikku nodded, looking more miserable then Yuna had ever seen her.

"We didn't go up to the hot-springs." Paine shrugged, looking a little annoyed that they were still standing around in the cold talking.

"Why not?" Tidus raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms and looking as though he was trying hard not to shiver.

"It's Ronso sacred ground for one thing, and we've been there before. Never seen anything peculiar." Paine shrugged again, looking up above them to where the cliff disappeared into the clouds.

Yuna stood silent for a moment, feeling the icy breeze sweep through her robes and chill her skin. The sky was growing darker and darker. The sun was almost gone. The feel of snow in the air was almost overwhelming. Any minute a blizzard would erupt, she could feel it.

"The hot-springs, huh…" Rikku put a finger to her mouth, looking as though she were plotting something.

"Oh no." Paine said quickly, shaking her head. "Don't even think it. We don't have time."

"Time for what?" Tidus frowned, moving his weight from one leg to the other, crossing his arms even tighter.

Rikku's eyes began to glint mischievously. "Time for a dip!"

Yuna stared at Rikku wordlessly. The idea was tempting, so tempting she was surprised at herself. After all they'd been through, they really hadn't had time for a proper break. The hot-springs had been so refreshing the last time they'd gone, but… But Paine was right, they didn't have the time. She sighed aloud and looked out to the open cliff beside them.

The screams were muted, but steadily growing louder and more urgent again.

"We don't have time." Paine repeated, glaring at Rikku as if somehow it'd get her point across. "Yuna's not going to last much longer. We have to find the temple."

"Paine!" Rikku cried, turning to face the warrior with a look of exasperation. "Where have you been all day? We looked over the whole darn mountain! What did we find? Zippo! All we're going to do now is head back to the airship to sleep! It's not going to kill us to take a dip before we go to bed!" She paused, then with a determined air added, "Besides, we didn't look up there properly. When we're finished with our dip we can check out the area for any signs of the Temple." It was an excuse, Yuna know, Rikku really didn't think they'd find anything. But still… Yuna pondered the idea, and Rikku's logic.  
Paine continued to glare, but she didn't say anything. It was clear, she had no argument to defend against that. Rikku began to smile, as if she'd won some kind of victory.

_'She has a point.'_ Yuna thought mutely, staring at her cousin whose eyes were still glinting.

"Sounds like a plan." Tidus grinned, and Rikku's eyes began to glint even more.

"See! He agrees with me! Come on Yunie, we have time! You need the break! It'll probably do you good." The points were coming fast now, too fast for Yuna to argue with. Her cousin did have valid points, and deep down… Yuna really wouldn't mind going.

"But it's Ronso sacred ground." Paine demanded, shooting Yuna a warning look.

"We've gone up there before! Kimarhi wouldn't mind." Rikku argued, rolling her eyes. "Besides, there's been so many people up there since word got out, I bet it wouldn't matter."

Paine sighed, but seemed unable to come up with anymore argument.

"Well Yunie, what do you say?" Rikku turned her gaze back to her cousin.

"Well…" Yuna blinked, looking up to the cliffs above. It was so tempting. Rikku was right, Kimarhi wouldn't mind, they'd never caused any harm before. She felt the impulsive Gullwing manner she'd acquired over the last few months suddenly take hold.

"Okay."

Rikku cheered, and did a little victory dance. "I knew you'd go for it, Yunie!"

"Sounds fun." Tidus grinned at her sideways, and Yuna felt the last of her doubts dissolve.

"What is going on down there?" A voice suddenly cut in, screeching in all three radios.

"Not so loud!" Rikku screeched back, glaring up at the sky as if somehow she'd be able to spot the airship. "We're just talking about going for a dip."

"A DIP?" Brother screeched, so loud even Paine winced.

"Oh goody." The warrior grumbled, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms.

"Yeah, a dip! You guys can come too! We'll just stay on opposite ends of the springs." Rikku waggled her eyebrows at Tidus. "So the guys can't peek at the girls!"

"Hey!" Tidus frowned, looking annoyed she'd ever think such a thing.

"I thought we were running short on time?" Buddy's usual calm voice came on the radio, and Paine looked suddenly hopeful that Yuna would call it off.

"Oh we just went through this!" Rikku stomped her foot, sounding annoyed as she yelled into her radio. "We're just going to go back to the ship anyway! We may as well enjoy ourselves!"

"Well, I guess you're right." Buddy didn't sound too convinced.

"Alright, let's go." Yuna said suddenly, making everyone turn to look at her in surprise. "It'll be fun." She smiled, looking from face to face. "Like you said, maybe the rest will help."

"See? Settled." Rikku grinned, shooting Paine a smug look.

"What about us?" Brother shouted through the com.

"Hurry up and get down here!" Rikku snorted, rolling her eyes and heading towards the cliff face.

"I still say this isn't a good idea." Paine muttered, but Rikku completely ignored her.

"Come on, Yunie!" Rikku grabbed Yuna's hand and began to tug her towards the cliff face. "We gotta get up there before that blizzard starts."

Yuna gathered her robes around her and followed after her cousin. Already Tidus was beside her and Paine was slowly bringing up the rear. The warrior still looked unhappy, but she wasn't about to give up the chance to go to the hot-springs, it seemed.

The climb up the cliffs itself was not difficult. Yuna and the others had done it several times before, and now it seemed almost automatic. The only one who had a little trouble was Tidus, surprisingly. Apparently he'd never done any kind of mountain climbing before.

"Uh, wait up?" He called, as the three girls reached the top. Yuna peered down behind her and saw he was still only half way.

Rikku giggled aloud and put her hands on her hips. "Oh, what's the matter? Blitzer boy can't cope with a couple of rocks?"

Tidus shot her a glare that was more amusement then anger. "Hey, we didn't climb mountains in Zanarkand. It's not my fault."

"Better go help him, Yuna." Paine snorted, looking just as amused as Rikku.

"Hey! I'm fine, just don't go wandering off without me." Tidus muttered loud enough for them to hear, increasing his pace as Yuna peered over the cliff.

"We're not going anywhere." Yuna smiled, waiting patiently as Rikku started to wander off.

"There you are!" Brother shouted from somewhere behind her, the sound of other footsteps heavy behind him. "What is the hold up?"

"Blitzer boy's having a bit of trouble with the mountain." Rikku giggled, waving her hand behind her towards the cliff.

"What?" Brother frowned, starting towards the cliff.

"Jeez Rikku!" Tidus muttered, pulling himself over the edge of the cliff beside Yuna. "Thanks a lot." Rikku giggled some more, then punched Brother in the arm.

"What was that for?!" He shouted, stumbling back only to bump into Cid.

"That's for not telling us you guys could have picked us up here!" Rikku snapped, her arms on her hips. Cid pushed Brother away and shot him a look of contempt.

"We didn't know we could land up there." Buddy interjected, before Brother could defend himself or Cid could start what looked to be another lecture to his children. "But when we were circling around scanning, we found a flat part in the ruins, free of storms. All we had to do was climb down to where we are now."

"That's handy. So we won't have to worry about the blizzard down there." Paine raised an eyebrow, looking towards the cliffs they had just ascended.

"Yep!" Calli peeked from behind Barkeep, grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh, you brought the whole family." Paine rolled her eyes.

"You think I'm going to pass up a chance at the hot-springs?" Cid snorted, crossing his arms. "Never!" Then he looked over to Brother with a somewhat suspicious scowl. "And I thought I better come to make sure nobody gets any ideas."

"Ideas?" Calli frowned.

"Don't ask." Paine sighed, looking at Brother and then at Tidus.

"What?" Tidus said defensively, as Rikku began to giggle again.

"Nothing." Paine shook her head, looking a little amused as she started off towards the hot-springs.

Yuna tried to ignore the whole exchange as she followed after Paine, but Rikku couldn't stop giggling.

"What is wrong with you?" Cid huffed, as the group began to follow after Paine.

"Nothing!" Rikku smiled innocently, stifling a giggle.

"Nothing! HAH!" Cid snorted, shaking his head. "I knew I should never have let you out of my sight. Look what you've become."

"What I've become?" Rikku retorted, scowling fiercely. "Hey pops! I'm happy with the way I am thanks!"

"Hah." He snorted again, shaking his head. "If you hadn't insisted on hanging around with Gippal, you'd have come out alright."

Paine raised an eyebrow and looked over her shoulder. "Oh?" She asked, with a hint of curiosity and amusement. Yuna turned as well, to see her cousin's face go slightly red with anger.

Rikku shot her a glare, turned away from them all, then began to scream something in Al Bhed at Cid. He looked somewhat amused, though still annoyed.

"Alright you two, let's not start a fight. We're supposed to be enjoying our break." Buddy interrupted calmly, as Rikku took a breath to start another spiel in Al Bhed. "Yuna doesn't need this."

That made Rikku shut her mouth abruptly. Though she enjoyed the silence, Yuna felt somewhat bad. They were all worried about her, even Buddy.

'Yuna doesn't need this. Yuna doesn't need that. Yuna needs to stay happy. Don't worry Yuna…' She sighed. They were just looking out for her, but it was still getting a little tiresome.

"We're here." Paine said quietly, after a few more minutes of walking and in some places, climbing.

"About time. I'm freezing." Calli shivered, rubbing her arms and jumping up and down.

"Okay, guys go first. We'll be in the far corner." Buddy said calmly, stopping in front of the tunnel that led to the hot-springs. "Then the girls can come in and stay in the front part, around the corner."

"Sounds good." Yuna nodded, though she noticed that both Rikku, Brother, and even Tidus looked somewhat disappointed.

"Rikku, you behave yourself." Cid scowled, catching the look on his daughter's face. She blinked at him innocently.

"Oh pops, you're so suspicious." She smiled sweetly, though it was obvious she was still raging mad at him for his earlier comments.

"For perfectly good reasons." Cid muttered, storming into the tunnel and out of sight.

"Well, hurry up guys!" Calli put her hands on her hips. "We want to get in the water before we freeze!"

"Yeah! Go on you slowpokes!" Rikku agreed, waving her hand at Brother and Buddy, who were slowly making their way towards the tunnel.

"We're going, we're going!" Buddy chuckled, disappearing out of sight. Barkeep pushed past Brother and waddled after.

"What are you waiting for?" Paine raised an eyebrow, looking at Tidus then at Brother, who were still lingering.

"I'm going already!" Tidus waved his arms with a good natured grin right back at Rikku, then shot Yuna a smile. "See you later."

"Yeah." She smiled, nodding almost automatically as he too disappeared into the tunnel. Only Brother remained, standing almost as if he were lost in front of the tunnel.

"Why are you still here?" Rikku growled, jumping up and down as she squinted her eyes at Brother.

"I… I am Captain! I am just making sure everything is… safe." He muttered, looking a cross between annoyed and disappointed, as he began to shuffle his feet towards the tunnel.

"Oh can't you go any faster!" Rikku ran after him and booted him in the shin, resulting in a roar of pain and Brother disappearing completely from sight.

"That wasn't very nice, Rikku." Yuna sighed, as she stared at the dark tunnel. Brother hadn't been having much luck with anyone lately, and she regretted not having been nicer. She'd been so distracted lately, and so happy, and so… But that wasn't any excuse. She couldn't deny it, Brother did get a little annoying sometimes, but he was still sweet in his own way. He was her cousin, she loved him just like she loved Rikku and Cid. But somehow she didn't think he'd understand if he tried to explain it to him, that it'd just cause more trouble. Knowing that somehow made her sad.

"He deserved it!" Rikku muttered, breaking Yuna's thoughts as the girl began to pace back and forth between the tunnel entrance.

_'Did he?'_

"So how long are we giving them to get in there and around the corner?" Paine yawned, shivering a little as she shifted her weight to her other leg absently.

"Oh, I think it's fine now." Rikku grinned, devilishly, and started for the tunnel.

"Rikku!" Yuna cried, grabbing her cousin by the arm. "They've only been gone a few minutes!"

Rikku grinned even wider, as if somehow that was the point.

Paine shook her head. "I think your father is right about you, Rikku."

"What?!" Rikku shrieked, the grin gone from her face. "I thought you were on my side!"

"When did I say that?" The warrior raised a elegant eyebrow, a small smirk on her lips showing she was amused by the whole thing.

Rikku scowled, looking hurt and even more annoyed then before. Spinning on a heel she started for the tunnel. "Let's get going already!" She snapped, though the glint in her eyes was back when she turned her head to look at Yuna.

"I suppose it's alright now." She said quietly, though still feeling a little reluctant she followed last, behind Paine.

"Yunie, you worry too much." Rikku sighed from somewhere ahead, but Yuna really didn't hear her. She could already feel the heat from the steam of the hot-springs, warming up her jacket and erasing the chill from her skin. She'd forgotten how nice the air felt, after being out in the cold.

"See, I told you." As they came to a stop in front of the hot-springs themselves, the guys were nowhere in sight. Rikku smiled at Paine as if in a told-you-so manner, but somehow looked a little disappointed.

"I can't wait!" Calli cried, ducking behind a rock to change as Yuna and the others did the same.

"I still say this is a bad idea." Yuna heard Paine mutter, but it was of little meaning now. Against it or not, even Paine was looking forward to the hot-springs, that was clear.

"Paine! Quit worrying! You're as bad as Yunie." Rikku chirped from behind one of the rocks, sounding annoyed at the two of them. "If we followed your advice, we'd never have any fun!"

"You know, having too much fun can be a bad thing." Paine muttered quietly, but Rikku seemed to ignore her.

Yuna was surprised to see she was the first to have gotten changed. Stepping out from behind the rock she carefully placed her extra clothes down in a neatly folded pile. How Shinra had managed to get a dress-sphere to produce bathing suits, she'd probably never know, and wasn't really sure if she really wanted to know. Stretching her arms she slowly walked towards the water, peering through the steam. She couldn't see anyone, but she could hear the guys talking a little ways away. Satisfied that it was safe, she carefully stepped into the water, smiling as the warmth warmed her to the bone. She'd forgotten how pleasant it was.

Sliding into the water she gave a small sigh as she waded over to their chosen corner, sitting down on a rock and letting her arms and legs go limp. The water was so warm, it hardly seemed possible so close to the snow. She closed her eyes and let the peace of the water and the muffling silence envelop her. Feeling so calm, she could barely hear the screams in her head. They seemed to fade to a barely audible whisper.

_'Who'd had thought. Being calm makes the screams lessen. I guess it was a good idea to do this after all.'_

Her peace however, was short lived. A moment later the sound of Rikku splashing into the water assaulted her senses and caused her to open her eyes. Her cousin was grinning from ear to ear, splashing in the water playfully like a little girl.

"Isn't this great, Yunie!" She made her way over to Yuna, flicking water towards her cousin with a devilish look in her eyes.

"Hey, we came here to relax, not play games." Paine scolded, entering the spring with little more then a tiny ripple as she elegantly moved over towards them. Even though she was taller then any of them and she had the arms and legs of a warrior, somehow she managed to retain a elegant grace. Though somehow, Yuna could see by the look on her face she wasn't happy about being in a bathing suit again.

"Aw, it's called having fun, Paine." Rikku rolled her eyes, flicking a handful of water towards the warrior. "You should try it!"

"No thanks." Paine growled, sitting down on nearby rock and closing her eyes. "Don't start Rikku, I don't want to hear anything like last time."

Rikku pouted, putting her hands on her hips as she turned to Yuna.

Quickly shutting her eyes, Yuna hoped her cousin hadn't noticed she'd been watching.

"Hah! I saw you, Yunie! Don't try to pretend to be asleep!" Rikku cackled, but didn't seem to take any action.

_'Maybe she knows I'm enjoying the peace.'_ Yuna thought quietly, though she wasn't sure. Despite having spent time with her cousin as a Gullwing and traveling with her on her pilgrimage, she really didn't know that much about Rikku's thoughts. Sure, Rikku would talk about them from time to time, and her character seemed easy to read, but… Yuna sensed somehow there was more to Rikku then she let on. Before that fateful day on the Shoopuff, Yuna hadn't even known she'd had a cousin. Of course she'd known she had an Uncle, her father had mentioned it once. Maybe she'd even met him as a little girl, it was hard to remember. But she knew she'd never seen Rikku before that day.

Despite that however, the two of them had gotten along well. Like the cousins they were, or perhaps even sisters at times. They'd always had an understanding, even if Rikku had always been a lot louder and out going than her.

"Yunie, did you fall asleep?" Rikku asked softly, frowning as she leaned over to look at her cousin. Yuna's eyes snapped open, blinking at the change of light.

"No… I was just thinking." She said quietly, noticing Calli had joined them while she'd had her eyes closed, without a word. The young girl seemed to be enjoying herself. There was another person she really didn't know well, yet. It seemed she would be joining the Gullwings, the young girl looked quite attached to the ship and the people on it.

_'Joining to make up for the loss of Paine and me.'_ Yuna thought suddenly, feeling a little sad.

"What are you thinking about?" Rikku frowned, tilting her head and leaning in closer to her cousin.

"Uh, nothing." The reply was too quick, Rikku saw right through it.

"Yeah right! Come on Yunie, whatcha thinking about?" Her cousin prodded, grinning.

"Oh, leave her alone, Rikku."

"No! Paine, stop spoiling my fun!" Rikku cried, splashing a rather large handful of water towards the warrior.

"Ugh." Paine moved away, scowling and wiping droplets of water off her face. "One more time, Rikku, one more time."

"Till what?" Rikku frowned.

"Till I come over there and teach you a lesson."

"Oh, I'm shaking!" Rikku stuck her tongue out as Paine turned her back to her, then spun around to face Yuna again.

"Alright Yunie, whatcha thinking about?" Rikku resumed her inquiries, prodding her cousin's shoulder with a finger.

"Nothing, really." Yuna tried again, but to no avail.

"I bet I know!" The Al Bhed grinned suddenly, leaning back and crossing her arms.

Yuna didn't much care for the look in her eyes, and warily, frowned. "What?"

Rikku grinned even wider, looking as though she was about to burst into a fit of giggles. "The guys!"

Yuna stared at her cousin blankly, not understanding.

Rikku stared back in disbelief. "You mean… you're not?"

"No?" Yuna looked to Paine for help, but the warrior just rolled her eyes.

"Oh." Rikku sounded taken aback, and perhaps disappointed. "Well that's no fun."

Yuna didn't say anything. What could she say? It was obvious Rikku was trying to stir up some trouble. She didn't feel like having that kind of fun, she just wanted to relax…

A silence fell upon the water for a long moment, and for a while, Yuna almost began to hope that it would last. As if to prove her wrong however, Rikku began to mutter to herself again and turned to face her cousin.

"So… Yunie." She grinned, looking mischievous. "Want to tell us what really happened the other night?"

Yuna blinked, trying to understand what it was her cousin was referring to.

_'The other night…? Oh, she must mean… Oh.'_

Yuna's face went a little red as she turned away. "Nothing happened." How could her cousin even suspect her of doing anything? Did she seem the type that would?

"Oh really!" Rikku edged closer, having seen the look on Yuna's face. "Come on, Yunie, spill the beans!"

"If she doesn't want to talk about it, don't bug her. It's her business, not yours." Paine retorted from across the water, her eyes closed.

Rikku let out a long sigh. "I was just asking!" She cried, looking disappointed as she sat back down beside Yuna and sulked.

"Really, Rikku, nothing happened." Yuna tried again, but her the look her cousin gave her led her to believe she didn't buy it. Sighing, Yuna closed her eyes again and tried to block out everything around her.

"I think it's time you answered a few questions, Rikku." Paine spoke suddenly, making Yuna open her eyes a little to see the warrior resting her head in one of her hands.

Rikku raised an eyebrow, looking suspicious and uncertain of what was going on. "Questions?"

"How is it you know Gippal anyway?" Paine said simply, though the hint of a smile seemed to lurk in her eyes.

The result was quick and loud. Rikku gave out a shriek and stood up, sending warm water scattering. "Nothing!" She shrieked, looking furious. "Why does everyone keep bugging me! He's an old childhood friend!"

"Oh really?" Paine asked, as calm as ever.

"Yes really!" Rikku sniffed, sitting back down and looking even more sulky.

"Do you believe her, Yuna?" Paine asked, outright smiling this time.

"Uh.." She stammered, looking from her scowling cousin to the smiling Paine.

"Leave her out of this!" Rikku snapped, seeing Yuna wasn't going to say anything and looking somewhat thankful for it.

"Calli?" Paine looked over to the young girl who was sitting silently nearby. The girl's eyes snapped open, and she stared at the two of them in horror.

"Er… I uh… Gippal?" She blinked, obviously confused.

"Never mind." Paine sighed, shaking her head. Turning back to Rikku, she continued. "You still haven't answered my question."

"Yes I did! Gippal was just a childhood friend." The Al Bhed looked as though she was grinding her teeth, but somehow her temper had fallen under control.

"That's not the impression I got."

Rikku answered with a scowl. "Gippal gets kicks out of making people think things that aren't true. He was just being a bully. Okay?" Her tone was almost a whine, begging for Paine to just leave it alone.

"Hmm. Fine." Paine shrugged, her smile gone. "Now maybe you'll stop bugging Yuna."

Rikku went silent, and almost seemed to pale. Looking over to Yuna, her face fell. "Oh… I'm sorry Yunie, I didn't mean…" Her voice trailed off. She really hadn't realized how annoying she'd been at times.

"It's okay." Yuna nodded simply. "No hard feelings." She smiled, and that seemed enough for Rikku.

The three of them fell silent, enjoying the water and the steam in silence. Closing her eyes again Yuna let her thoughts clear, the scream echoing away to almost nothing as she did. Her entire body was pleasantly warm, all trace of the cold chill gone.

_'I could stay here forever.'_ She thought with a small smile, a feeling of peace drifting over her.

"Well this is boring." Rikku said finally, breaking the silence. Apparently the guys thought so too, as it was almost deathly quiet over the entire water.

"Can't you sit still for two minutes?" Paine sighed, splashing her hand into the water in an exasperated fashion.

Rikku crossed her arms dramatically and flicked her hair. "This is boring. I'm going to go find the guys."

"What?" Yuna squeaked, opening her eyes to stare at Rikku. "But, that's…"

"Fun!" Rikku completed for her, though it wasn't at all what Yuna had wanted to say. "Come on, Yunie! Let's go!"

"Oh no, I'll sit here and watch you go cause trouble, but I'm not going to let you drag Yuna into it. She needs the rest. Leave her out of it." Paine stood up, wading over to the two of them and glaring at Rikku menacingly.

Rikku threw her hands up in the air with a dramatic flourish. "Oh! You're both hopeless! Fine, I'll go by myself!"

"I'll come!" Calli said suddenly, grinning in the same devilish manner Rikku was.

"Oh great." Paine muttered, sitting down again. "So much for a quiet evening."

"You're not going to stop them?" Yuna asked, looking over to Paine as Rikku and Calli began to sneak off.

"There isn't really anything I can do." She shrugged. "Besides, when Cid finds out about it…" She let her voice trail off.

"Oh." Yuna sighed.

_'So much for a quiet evening indeed.'_

…

…

…

…

…

AN: Yes, short… not much happened. Sort of a lull in the story at this point, if you hadn't noticed. Don't worry it'll pick up again soon. Hope it wasn't too boring, and I promise the next chapter will be up soon. Really.


	20. Chapter 19 Sacred Ground

AH-HA! Look at this! I updated! Believe it or not! About time, too, isn't it? Aie. I really didn't mean it to get that late. Time sort of took off without me, and by the time I realized it, well... it was... four weeks? Goodness. I hadn't intended for that. I guess I just got busy. I'm feeling a lot better though however and this chapter just came off easily and was fun to write. Been watching AMVs to the point it's probably not healthy, and getting really inspired by some good FFX-2 ones. So you can expect a new chapter in about, a week or so, and yes, that's an offical promise. I have no intention of quitting this fic, and I just got a new dose of inspiration for it.

And wow! This chapter actually has plot. I hope you like it. From here on there will be only a few small 'breaks', but they'll all be plot concerned. I've been trying to balance it between plot and just character interaction, but I guess it's a bit less plot related then I had intended. Sorry about that. I'm not stuck or anything, I have the entire story outlined, just have this habit of getting carried away and sometimes forget I have to put in a plot too. Oops.

In reply to comments/reviews... Which I forgot to do last chapter.... (head-desk)

Delylah-

I'm glad you think the characters are really in character. I try very hard and I guess I'm rather critical about my own work and wish it could be perfect. Yeah, I'm too much of a perfectionist. Anyway, that was one of the things with this story, I tried to bring back a bit of the old Yuna, and make Tidus a little older, wiser, like he was near the end of FFX. I didn't want to write Yuna as she is exactly in FFX-2, which is too much like Rikku for me, personally, at some points anyway. So I'm glad it's coming off like that, because it's exactly what I wanted. Thanks for the comment, glad you like the story. :)

YuniX-2

I checked out that song that you linked to me, it was neat, though I don't ever remember hearing it before. I guess it was just one of those extra ones for FFX, that the girl who sang Suteki Da Ne did. In any case, thanks for showing it to me, I quite liked it. Rikku is getting a bit out of hand, isn't she? I do hope it isn't unbearable, I have a little difficultly writing her sometimes. You make AMVs? Might I ask which ones? I recently got into a mad AMV craze and I've been watching nearly anyone for FFX-FFX-2 I can find.

Okay, well, I think that's it... so carrying on...

And as usual, thank you EVERYONE for all your comments, honestly, they mean so much to me. Please keep commenting, I really love seeing how many people are reading this. I'm dearly sorry to have kept all of you waiting, again, for this chapter.

As usual, I don't own FFX or FFX-2 or anything about them.

Side note, I noticed that some people who e-mail me about the fic, I try to reply to, and my hotmail address won't send properly, due to the other address being Yahoo or something. To remedy this, if you want to e-mail me but don't want to send something to evil hotmail, I now have the yahoo address – - Feel free to e-mail me if you, for some reason, wish to.

And that's quite enough of my endless babbling. Onto the belated chapter. Hope it doesn't have any mistakes, it was kind of rush update, but I checked it over a few times.

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Chapter 19

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"We should see if they are okay." Brother muttered, perhaps for the third time.

"Why wouldn't they be okay?" Buddy sighed, not moving from his place in the hot springs. "We've only been here a hour. We checked for fiends, and we haven't heard any noise to suggest something's wrong."

"But..." Brother paused, looking annoyed and disappointed. "There could be!"

"No." Buddy shook his head, sighing.

"Why are you darn worried?" Cid snapped from the other wall, dunking down in the water and eyeing his son suspiciously.

"Uh..." The Al Bhed's voice faltered, and his face went into a flurry of expressions. It wasn't hard to see that he was trying to think of something to say that wasn't what he really meant.

Rolling his eyes, Tidus almost wished they'd all just be quiet like Barkeep.

It wasn't that he didn't mind the talking, sure, he'd heard pretty much the same kind of talk in all his years playing Blitzball with the guys... But this time it was different. It wasn't Zanarkand and he wasn't part of the Abes anymore, they weren't talking about sneaking into the girl's locker room. That was a part of the past now and he really didn't miss it.

Brother however, seemed almost an exact copy of some of the guys he'd known in the Abes. Not a bad guy, but he let his mind wander. It wouldn't have been a problem, if it wasn't for the fact it was about Yuna.

Sighing Tidus leaned back on the rocks and stared up at the ceiling. Far above he could see the snowflakes falling, gently down from the sky. It seemed that the storm had in fact stayed below as they'd thought.

"I'm just worried, that is all!" Brother finally demanded, crossing his arms.

_'It's not jealousy...'_ Tidus thought quietly to himself as he watched the Al Bhed. _'I'm not angry at him. I can see why he'd love her. And why it's so hard for him to stop.'_ He frowned, thinking.

"Maybe if you worried less about Yuna and more about yourself, you'd actually get to accomplishing something in your life!" Cid snorted, shooting looks that were like daggers. "Yuna's good at taking care of herself."

Brother stared wordlessly at the water, torment in his face. A lot of pain.

_'He knew he could never be with her, because she was his cousin. But it didn't stop him from looking up to her and loving her...'_ Tidus shifted uncomfortably. He didn't much care for the entire situation really, but there wasn't much he could do. Yuna had told Brother what she felt, about everything, about Tidus, but Brother seemed to be having trouble accepting it. Not that he blamed him.

_'Probably just better to let him burn it out. He seems to have finally accepted me.'_

Sitting up straight again Tidus swept his arms under water and dragged a hand over his face. The water was refreshingly warm and clean, probably cycling constantly from the waterfall nearby. Blinking the water out of his eyes he looked over to see Brother sitting silently in the corner, watching him.

Tidus watched him right back, their eyes locking for a long moment. There wasn't anything to be said, Tidus didn't want to ignite the situation, Brother looked tired of the whole thing. Finally it was Brother who turned away, looking sad but also a lot more accepting about something.

"You are right. They are... fine." Brother mumbled finally, not making eye contact with his father who shot him a somewhat pleased look.

"There! You see? That's the right attitude boy. Besides, even if there was something wrong, it wouldn't be right to storm in on them."

Tidus coughed lightly and stared down at the water, trying not to think about that too much.

"So do we have any idea where we're going next?" Buddy said finally, after nobody had said a thing for quite some time.

"We've looked all over the mountain." Cid sighed, shaking his head. "We didn't miss anything."

"And you're sure the tunnels are empty?" Buddy looked over to Tidus.

Shrugging, he flicked water out of his hair. "We checked all the ones we could. Didn't see anything that looked like a temple."

Buddy frowned. "Are you sure you checked them all?"

Tidus nodded. "Pretty sure."

Sighing, Buddy shook his head. "Pretty sure isn't going to work. We'll have to check them again tomorrow."

Tidus blinked, stopping himself before he frowned. "We checked them! We-"He stopped short, realizing he was starting to get annoyed. There wasn't any point in arguing, Buddy didn't seem to be convinced they'd checked them. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to look over them again. But...

"You...?" Buddy nodded his head a little, encouraging Tidus to continue. He seemed interested to hear what he was going to say.

_'What's his problem?'_ Tidus cleared his throat and shook his head. "Forget it. We'll check them again tomorrow." He sighed to himself as Buddy seemed satisfied by the answer.

Leaning back on a rock, Tidus regarded the Al Bhed silently. He seemed a nice enough guy, but something about him just didn't agree with Tidus. Perhaps it was just a clash of character. That'd happened lots to him in the Abes. There'd been countless conflicts between him and other blitzers. Being the son of a famous blitzer had it's problems, and popularity was one of them. Now there was something he wasn't going to miss much, though it seemed he'd get it back quick enough in Luca.

Shrugging away the thoughts of the past, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath in of the warm air. It really was nice here. Absently he began to wonder if Yuna and the others were really alright, like Brother had been wondering. It was entirely possible that something could have happened... But he didn't dare say anything aloud, not with the mood Cid seemed to be in.

A muffled giggle rippled through the quiet air. A rather feminine giggle at that. Blinking Tidus looked around, seeing no one other then the guys. Maybe he imagined it?

"What was that?" He said aloud, frowning.

"What was what?" Brother snapped his head around to look over to Tidus, frowning right back at him.

"I heard-"Another giggle, this time louder. Brother's eyes widened and he began looking around the hot springs.

"Rikku?" Brother cried, standing up in the water.

"Rikku?!" Cid exploded, jumping up so fast water sprayed in all directions.

"Oh nuts."

Rikku's head popped out from behind the corner, peeking out with a silly grin plastered on her face. "I uh... we got lost!" Calli's head popped up below her, equally grinning though rather a strange shade of red.

"RIKKU!" Cid exploded a second time, waving his hands in the air. He seemed to get even madder as Rikku stepped from behind the corner and waved at them. It took Tidus a minute to realize it must have been because she was wearing a bathing suit, a bikini one at that.

Unlike the girls they'd decided to wear just their regular clothing. Tidus was used to it as a Blitzer, and so it seemed were the others. Rikku it seemed however, had decided bathing suits was the thing to do. Her father, did not seem pleased in the least.

"Whaaat?" Rikku cried, putting her hands on her hips. "We're just having a little fun!"

"Fun?" Buddy tilted his head. "Spying on us?"

Rikku looked aghast as she put her hand to her mouth. "No! Not spying! We were just..."

"Looking for stuff!" Calli chimed in.

Tidus rolled his eyes and snorted aloud in spite of himself.

Rikku shot a glare in his direction, though a quirky grin seemed to still be hovering on her face. Putting her hands on her hips, she shrugged.

"Yeah! We were just looking around to see if there were any Temple ruins."

Cid glowered at her, raising a hand to point towards where she had come.

"Go back over there and get dressed, missy! I won't have my daughter gallivanting around some hot springs in a bikini!"

"You obviously didn't see what she was gallivanting around Spira in for the past year." Buddy chuckled, shaking his head as he looked down at the water.

Cid spun around and looked at Buddy with a look of pure horror. "What was that?"

"Rikku, go back and leave us alone!" Brother shouted in place of his father, waving his hands at her as if he was trying to create a wind.

"But we need to check this area!" Rikku cried, pouting and letting her hands fall to her sides. "If you guys won't, we have to!"

"Alright, Rikku, just why did you have to go and ruin the peace?" Paine's voice crept from behind the corner as the warrior appeared directly behind Rikku. The Al Bhed thief shrieked and jumped into the air, startled out of her wits it seemed by the sudden appearance.

"Paine! Don't do that to me!" She gasped, spinning around and waggling her finger at the warrior. Paine stared at her with a gaze that held not even a glimmer of pity or remorse.

"This is quiet time, Rikku. We don't need any disasters right now."

"Disasters? How is this a disaster?" Rikku sniffed, turning back around to face the guys who were all looking over to Cid.

"Rikku! Get your hide back over there right now before I-"

"Before you what, pops?" Rikku placed her hands back on her hips, kicking the water with her foot. "Stop your lousy empty threats!"

"Rikku, would you-" Paine started, but was cut off as Yuna peeked around the corner and everyone went silent.

"Yuna?" Brother nearly squeaked, then seemed to remember something and spun around, staring at the rock face as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"Yuna!" Cid sputtered. "Rikku, this is the last straw! It's one thing to do this yourself, but dragging Yuna into-"

"I didn't do anything!" Rikku shrieked so loud it seemed to shake Cid out of his rant. "She came by herself!"

"Um..." Yuna blinked, looking from Rikku to Paine. "Maybe we should go?"

"Go!" Cid roared, throwing his hands up into the air. "We're all going! Enough is enough! I'm not having any more of this gallivanting while I'm around! The party's over!"

"You can't make me leave, pops! We just got here!" Rikku screeched, stomping over across the pool to stand a few inches away from him. Brother too, began to argue against it loudly, though he spilled into Al Bhed without seeming to even notice.

"Oh, for..." Paine shook her head, turning away and storming away from everyone back towards the entrance of the springs.

Tidus blinked and quietly began to edge away from Rikku, Cid, and Brother. The three of them had begun to shout at each other in Al Bhed, and it seemed none of them could actually hear the other over their own rant. That didn't seem to matter however, as they carried on waving their arms and pointing fingers just the same. Buddy seemed to be talking to Barkeep, and Calli was standing dumbly in between it all. The only one who seemed to be calm was Yuna, who was watching the whole drama with a little amusement on her face.

Walking over to her as quietly as he could, Tidus grinned a little sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I guess we should have seen that coming." He said, nodding his head back towards the screeching argument.

"Yeah." She nodded, smiling a little more. "When Rikku said she was going over, I figured it was only a matter of time."

"So um..." Tidus blinked, trying not to think too hard on the fact that Yuna was wearing a bathing suit just like Rikku, "Everything alright?"

She tilted her head at him with a little bit of a grin. "Something wrong?"

"Uh, nope." He coughed, looking back over his shoulder at the Al Bhed who were seeming to finally calm down. "But I think we're going to be leaving in a minute."

"Yeah..." Yuna's voice lost the amused edge and she sighed faintly. "I wish we could have stayed longer."

"Hey, we'll come back." Tidus grinned, looking back to her. He wasn't surprised to see a familiar look on her face.

Her eyes seemed lost in a distant memory for a moment, filled with an immeasurable sadness. But it was gone as quickly as it had come, and she was starting to smile again. "Okay. Let's come back sometime."

"Okay, it's a promise." Tidus smiled, and for a moment there was peace again, a flicker of tranquility between them. Everything else seemed to melt away as their eyes met and he reached out with a hand to take hers.

"Let's go see everything again." He said quietly, after a silent moment had passed. She nodded once, and her eyes were answer enough.

"Alright, let's get going." Cid's voice broke the spell, and the tranquility disappeared. But he still held her hand, and he could still see the happiness in her eyes.

Rikku seemed subdued and sulky, as if she had lost a fight she couldn't have possibly won. Brother seemed almost scared as he fell behind his father and stared down at the water.

_'Wow, looks like Cid actually won this round.'_ Tidus blinked, still holding Yuna's hand as the group began to slowly move towards the entrance. Some of them, however, were dragging their heels.

"I can't believe we're actually leaving..." Rikku muttered, sulkily kicking the water as Calli trailed behind her. "It's not fair."

"Rikku, if I hear one more complaint from you..." Cid's voice trailed off with a warning growl, his head turned towards her with a rather unpleasant scowl.

"Next time, let's leave the old windbags at home." She muttered, loud enough so he could hear. His face went a dark shade of red but he didn't say anything, instead turning away and increasing his pace. Water sprayed in all directions as he stormed through it, sending waves across the entire spring.

"But this is Yunie's rest time!" Rikku finally chirped, grasping at the last straw she had. "She's supposed to be enjoying herself! Don't spoil it for her!"

Cid skidded to a halt, as did everyone else for fear of colliding with him. He slowly turned around and regarded Rikku with a long glare. He knew perfectly well exactly why she'd said it, but he also knew there was a scrap of truth to it. With a long sigh, he looked over to Yuna.

Rikku's eyes darted from her father to Yuna, and for a moment held a look of horror. Yuna, like her, was wearing a bathing suit, but also happened to be standing right next to Tidus, and holding his hand.

Tidus saw the look of warning in Rikku's eyes, but ignored it. Still holding Yuna's hand he just smiled a bit and looked over to her.

"Yuna, did you want to stay longer?" Cid asked, after a long moment of uneasy silence had seeped over the group. He didn't seem angry at all, surprisingly. Considering how he had reacted earlier...

"No, it's okay." Yuna shook her head gently, wearing one of her somewhat forced smiles. Though Tidus doubted anyone else could see that.

Cid opened his mouth as if to say something, then shut it. Shaking his head he resumed walking towards the entrance. Rikku stood rooted to the ground, staring at Yuna and Tidus as if it was some kind of miracle they were still alive.

"He didn't... get mad?" She whispered, blinking. Had it been Rikku who'd been holding hands with someone, the situation probably would have not gone as smoothly, or quietly, for that matter.

Tidus shrugged, and Yuna stared following her uncle.

_'He knows he can't try and control her life, that she's an adult. He's glad to see her happy... He accepted me.'_ It was a little surprising, though in a good way. Cid had always liked Tidus, Rikku had said as much back when Sin was still around. But accepting him enough to realize what was between him and Yuna, and not say anything about it... Tidus couldn't help but be a little surprised. And happy.

Tidus looked over to Yuna, who was gazing forward with a far-off look on her face. He decided not to interrupt her thoughts and just continued to walk beside her, holding her hand.

"About time." Paine called from landing, already dressed in her warrior's garb and looking somewhat impatient. "Let's get out of here already, the storm is getting worse out there."

"Yeah yeah, keep your hair on." Rikku muttered darkly, splashing out of the water with a storming kind of gait. Grabbing her clothes and a towel she ducked behind one of the rocks and continued to mutter to herself, though in Al Bhed.

Wringing out his sleeves the best he could, but not really bothered much by the water, Tidus shook his hair dry and stretched. As Calli and Yuna disappeared behind other rocks to change, the guys gathered around near the entrance with Paine.

It had indeed, become quite stormy outside. The wind was howling and snow flakes were starting to flitter in the air. The water that remained on Tidus's skin began to cool, and he suddenly found himself greatly missing the warmth of the water.

"We have to go out in that?" Brother demanded, scowling, as if he had read Tidus's mind.

"What are you going to do? Stay here all night?" Paine raised an eyebrow, her arms crossed and her hair already half dry.

"No, but, how are we supposed to get back to the ship?" He muttered, crossing his arms.

"Well, Captain, one would think we'd walk there." Paine drawled rather sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Though she sounded as if she were fed up with the entire thing, Tidus saw what could have been a spark of amusement in her eyes. Maybe she was like Yuna in a way, he thought suddenly. Maybe she was hiding behind that demeanor of hers.

"I know that!" Brother roared, flinging his arms into the air with a leap. Paine stared at him levelly, her arms at her sides and a small smirk hovering on her face.

"Stop yer caterwauling! When we get to the ship, I'm going to have a nice long chat with you and that sister of yours." Cid snapped, crossing his arms and looking grim.

A shriek exploded from behind one of the nearby rocks.

"What did I do?!"

Cid snorted so loud it almost sounded as if he were choking. "Don't play dumb, missy! You know exactly what it is you did!"

"You're so over-reacting!" Came another high pitched shriek, one that made Tidus actually wince.

"Rikku, when we get back, I'm going to make you get to some honest, Al Bhed work! That'll straighten you out! You and that brother of yours!"

"WHAT?!" Came a duet of shrieks, as Rikku poked her head out from behind the rock and Brother jumped in seeming fright.

"You can't do that!" Rikku cried, frowning and looking as though she wanted to break into tears. "We're the Gullwings!"

"You're an Al Bhed! Gippal is off helping to rebuild Spira, and you're going around making a mess of things with your gang!"

"Gang?!" Brother cried, but he was cut off by Rikku before he could say another word.

"Gippal? Gippal! Why do you keep comparing me to Gippal?! And we just saved the world, for your information, pops! Unless you happened to forget!"

"Rikku, you're supposed to respect your elders! Gippal wouldn't-"

The argument abruptly switched to Al Bhed, when Rikku ran over her father verbally and began shrieking various things, with the name 'Gippal' clearly evident in the sentences.

Sighing, Tidus leaned against a nearby rock.

"It'll never end, you know." Paine said quietly, across from him. She nodded towards Rikku who had now come out from behind the rock, fully clothed, standing on tip toe to look her father in the eyes. Brother had joined in on the argument it seemed, chirping in agreements to his father nearly every time the name 'Gippal' was heard. This seemed to only make Rikku's temper worse, and her volume began to increase.

"Oh, I can't see it ending." Tidus had to stop himself from grinning, knowing if Rikku caught sight of him it'd probably be something of a disaster. Nearby Buddy was leaning against a wall and seemed to be half asleep, though it was impossible to tell with his goggles on.

"Hey!" Calli's voice cried out, though it was impossible to hear over the Al Bhed shrieking. Tidus barely heard it. Perking up he frowned and looked over to the rocks. Calli had come out behind them and was waving her arms frantically as if her life depended on it.

"What's going on?" Paine asked, quickly pushing off the wall and walking towards the young girl, past Rikku who was hopping up and down.

Tidus followed closely behind, seeing Yuna come out from another one of the rocks. She too, appeared to have heard Calli's cry. The three of them came to a stop in front of Calli, who's eyes were wider then Tidus would have thought possible.

"What's wrong, Calli?" Yuna asked softly, looking a little worried at the girl's condition.

"I just... I was just getting changed, behind that rock, and..." The girl's hand went to point behind her, indicating where she had been. "And I bumped into this rock, and... and..." Her voice completely trailed off, her head turning to look back to where she had come.

Paine strode forward, moving past Calli with a wary look. Drawing her sword she held it easily in front of her, stepping behind the rock. There was very little space to move about, Paine herself had to slide between the rocks, so Tidus remained behind. Yuna kneeled down and tried to talk to Calli again.

"What is, Calli? What happened?"

The girl's head fell, to look to the ground. "I don't know! I just bumped into this rock, and one of the rocks moved, and... It was so scary! This big hole in the wall opened up, and it was dark and scary and I think I heard something moving in there!" Her words tumbled out in a fast jumble, but Tidus managed to catch the gist of it.

Standing up quickly, Yuna looked to Tidus with a somewhat hopeful look. She didn't say anything, but they both knew what she wanted to say. But didn't dare to hope, quite yet.

"What did you find, Paine?" Yuna asked, after a moment, having lost sight of the warrior behind the rock. There was a pause, then a muffled reply came back.

"You better come see this, Yuna."

"Come see what? What's going on, Yunie?" By this time, the others had caught sight of what was going on and apparently ended their argument. Tidus had been so concerned about what was going on with Calli, he'd completely tuned the Al Bhed dialogue out.

"I'm not sure." Yuna said softly, but was already sliding past Calli to move between the rocks. Tidus followed quickly after, making sure not to lose sight of her.

"Hey, wait for us!" Rikku cried, dashing after.

Tidus barely squeezed past some of the rocks, but it wasn't very long before they began to widen again and eventually opened up to a small chamber. Yuna and Paine stood in front of him, and he could hear Rikku coming up behind him.

As Calli had said, a large hole gapped in the wall. It looked like just an ordinary cave, but had none of the glowing stones in the lower tunnels. It was simply a gaping, black hole into the side of the rock.

"What is that?" Rikku gasped, sliding past Tidus to come up beside Yuna and Paine.

"A hidden tunnel." Paine announced quietly, though her voice carried.

"What did you find?" Buddy called, his voice muffled. Rikku blinked and turned back to where they had come.

"We found a tunnel! It looks like it was hidden! We're going to go check it out, you guys stay there!" There was a brief silence, and voices were heard conferring with each other.

"We're going to go back to the airship. We're worried the storm might damage it if we don't get it out of here. We'll come back in a few hours when it dies down to pick you up. Okay?" Buddy's voice called out again, and after a brief, silent council between the four of them, Yuna nodded.

"Okay, we'll see you guys later." She called back, and looked back to the tunnel.

"Great! Another bold adventure for the Gullwings!" Rikku cried, punching the air.

"I thought you didn't like caves." Paine smiled a little, as she stepped closer to the gap.

"Er, well... I don't, but..." Rikku stood behind Paine and smiled sweetly. "You can go first, Paine!"

Paine sighed, and stepped into the tunnel. Yuna followed close behind, Tidus right behind her. Rikku seemed quite happy to bring up the rear.

"It's kind of dark." Rikku said, after they had all entered the tunnel and taken a few steps.

"Looks like it's dress-sphere time." Paine sighed, sounding not at all happy about it.

Though Tidus couldn't see a thing in the darkness of the tunnel, he heard the familiar sounds of the dress-spheres activating. After another extended moment, a ball of fire erupted in the darkness and nearly blinded him.

"Hey! Warn me next time!" He cried, covering his eyes.

"Sorry, blitzer-boy." Rikku giggled from behind him, twirling her Black Mage's staff in the air as a fireball hovered quietly beside her. In front of him, Paine was in similar garb, a second fireball hovering in front of her. Only Yuna was still in her Gunner's clothes.

"You're not changing, Yunie?" Rikku frowned, peering over at her cousin from behind Tidus.

"No, we might need another fighter if things get bad suddenly." Shaking her head, she motioned to the guns at her waist.

"You're right." Paine said, looking ahead of them into the gloom from under her floppy hat. "I don't like the smell in here. It reeks of fiends."

"Oh goody." Rikku sniffed, very quietly.

"Well, let's go." Yuna smiled a little, looking somewhat anxious about something. Tidus was about to ask what, when Paine started off on a brisk pace, Yuna following closely behind. Forced to dash after them, he wondered what she seemed to be sensing. She didn't look like her usual self at all.

The tunnel didn't seem to go up or down, it simply continued on a winding, level path. The walls of it were completely smooth and lacking of any kind of blemishes or rocks. The floor and ceiling looked as though they had been carved, which made Tidus begin to believe that, with the addition of it being hidden, it had been made by someone. Not the Ronso, he decided, the ceilings were far too low and no Ronso, save a very young one, would have been able to get through that pass.

So it had been carved out. But by who, and for what? He didn't dare hope.

"The tunnel's opening up." Paine called from ahead suddenly, and sure enough, the tunnel opened into a large chamber. Unlike the tunnel however, it was much, much different. In various holders, dim stones seemed to glow, emitting an eerie, multi-colored light across the chamber. Blue, red, green, yellow, purple, all the colors were there, on different rune covered holders. As the fireballs extinguished themselves, and the chamber cast it's own, natural light, Tidus realized what the runes were.

Fayth runes. The same runes he had seen in all the temples, in all the places of Spira, glowing dimly in the darkness. Hidden in the mountain, behind a wall of rocks, in the Ronso's sacred ground.

"What is this place?" Paine frowned, looking around at the far reaching ceiling and carvings in the walls. As Tidus slowly turned around to take it all in, it became more and more obvious.

Tidus knew, and he wasn't the only one.

"It's a temple." Yuna said breathlessly, a mix of excitement and relief in her voice. "It's a hidden temple."


	21. Chapter 20 Forgotten Temple

Well well… look who's alive. First of all, I want to give you all a big huge apology for this being so late. I had a little bout of depression that took me a while to shake. Feeling better now. Then my computer had some rather nasty problems, AGAIN. Couldn't get online, then when I could I couldn't upload anything. Urgh. Again, I'm really really sorry this is late.

I hope it doesn't feel like I'm dragging out the story with this chapter. I want to assure you that this new turn of events and new 'quest', will not last long. I don't want to drag the story out and see it become boring. There's just a few more things I want to write, and then there'll be that bit I promised far too long ago, the perfect ending from FFX-2. Took me long enough. Anyway, this 'quest' business isn't going to drag on like the previous incidents in the story. It'll probably only cover one or two chapters. They'll be long chapters though, so it might take me a little while to write em. Hah. Ah… when doesn't it take me a while to write chapters. Sigh.

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Anyway, that's all to say… Thanks everyone for all the comments.

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I don't own FFX-2 or FFX.

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Now onto the chapter.

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Chapter 20

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"So… Now what?" Paine's voice exploded in Yuna's head and knocked her out of her thoughts. Being in a temple again, looking at the entrance to the Ordeals… Brought back a lot of memories. Some she didn't want brought back and some that she almost missed. It'd been from a time that seemed so long ago now, but had been the center of her very life for most of her years. Being back in the position of completing the trials to get to the Fayth's chamber… It wasn't a very comforting feeling, even if it somehow felt right, and proper. But that was simply the years of training telling her it was right, and even after all that had happened, it was hard to tell herself all those beliefs had been lies.

"We have to go through the trials." She said, though realized it was an obvious and somewhat silly thing to say afterwards. It had been an automatic response, she'd been so enrapt in her own thoughts she hadn't been paying attention. It was also, as she remembered, almost something of a ceremony for a Summoner to say that when entering the Trials, to herself, or aloud. A reminder of her duty and a way of putting herself in the state of mind she'd nee to be in to complete the trials.

Lowering her head a little, Yuna tried to make herself smile. She should be happy, after all. This was the end, they were almost there. Soon the fiend threat to Spira would be over, and the screaming gone from her mind. Why was she upset? It was just a temple, something from her past that she didn't have to worry about anymore. It wasn't as if she was trying to acquire an Aeon to defeat Sin. No, this would be simpler than that, she hoped. They'd be out soon enough.

"And then to the Fayth!" Rikku chirped, though with a little quieter tone than normal. She too, seemed to be feeling a little out of place. Yuna felt her cousin edge closer to her, and give her a supporting smile and a pat on the shoulder. Maybe the memories had somehow shown on her face. Rikku had begged her to not go to defeat Sin during the pilgrimage, and even though that threat was long gone, the thought probably still lingered in the back of her cousin's mind. And probably another's.

Looking to Tidus, she saw the same kind of supporting smile. There was a faint glimmer of something in his eyes, that she suspected to be an old fear he was trying to hold back. Just like Rikku, he too wasn't comfortable in the situation of being in a temple again. Even with Yevon and Sin gone, there was an uneasy air around them and it felt almost wrong to be there.

_'I can do this.' _Yuna commanded herself, smiling and taking a deep breath. 

"You've been in a temple before, Rikku?" Paine raised an eyebrow, uncrossing her arms and taking a few cautious steps towards the archway that led deeper into the temple.

"A couple." Rikku's smile ebbed slightly, as her eyes went to the archway with a look of slight uneasiness on her face. The feeling in the air was putting them all on edge, it seemed.

Paine paused, staring into the tunnel. There were lights arranged along the temple's walls, casting a dim yet steady light around the surroundings. They could see fine enough in the light, but it was dark enough to seem somewhat forbidding. Unnatural light, colors that no fire could possibly make, burning without smoke and without stop. Who knew how long the fires had been burning for. Hundreds of years, perhaps. If it was indeed a temple made when Yunalesca was still among the living… Perhaps even longer. Lighting a tunnel that led to trials that no one had set foot in for nearly a thousand years. It wasn't a very comforting thought.

"And how about you?" Paine rose an eyebrow, looking towards Tidus. Her words seemed to shake him out of a quiet daze and the uneasiness in his eyes disappeared. He made a scoffing sound and moved to Yuna's side.

"Temples are no problem. I was Yuna's guardian. I went into every temple she did." He grinned, looking to Yuna as he made a dismissing wave with his arm.

"Even though you weren't supposed to." She said quietly with a grin, recalling the first time she'd seen him, and how the entire village of Besaid had reacted to his taboo breaking.

"Hey!" Tidus frowned, a look of feigned hurt on his face. He knew perfectly well what she had meant by that, how could either of them ever forget that day?

"That wasn't my fault! I got too close to Sin. The toxins messed up my head, remember?" His look of hurt broke into an unmasked grin, as he pointed at his head. Yuna grinned back, and almost laughed aloud before a cough broke the air.

"We better get started." Paine said quietly, shaking her head with a vaguely regretful look. "It's already nightfall out there, and I was planning on getting some sleep tonight."

"Aw, way to spoil the moment! Meanie!" Rikku sniffed, kicking the ground.

"They can have their moments later." Paine rolled her eyes, though she had the faintest look of amusement on her face.

"Paine's right." Yuna nodded, still smiling at the memory of when she'd first met Tidus. "Let's go finish this."

"So what, we just go in? What about this room?" Paine asked, looking around at the various runes and glyphs that were glowing silently. They were being emitted from spheres, just like all the other temples, that were being held in stone pedestals.

"Well…" Yuna said, walking over to one of the pedestals where a bright blue sphere was, "This is a little different then the other temples." She tried to pick up the sphere, but found it was buried deep into the stone. Locked in, it seemed.

"That's odd." She said, frowning.

"What?" Rikku's head poked up beside her, peering down at the sphere. "Hey! Isn't that a sphere from Besaid?"

"I think so." Yuna nodded, giving up with her attempts to get it loose. The glyph that was glowing above it did look like the glyphs in Besaid, with the same shade of color. But why would a Besaid sphere be here? "But I can't get it out." She sighed, shaking her head. "I don't understand."

"Maybe this is just an entrance chamber." Paine looked around, to the other pedestals.

Yuna stood quietly for a moment, thinking as she looked from pedestal to pedestals. Valefor, Ifrit, Ixion, Shiva, Bahamut… Five spheres in total. The glyphs were unmistakable. All five of the most well known and recognized Aeons. But why would spheres from five different temples be here?

"Reminds me of Anima's temple." Tidus said from behind her, looking around the room and up to the shadowed ceiling. "Abandoned, in disrepair, and we had to go track down spheres from all the temples for it."

Yuna's heart nearly skipped a beat at the thought of having to travel around Spira to look for spheres again. "Well, it looks like they're all here." She turned slowly around the room, looking at each glyph. "Maybe someone already got in."

"That doesn't make any sense. The entrance was sealed, and the Ronso would have seen anyone coming out." Paine frowned, leaning against the wall near the entrance to the trials. "But does it really matter? Maybe it's just display. Let's go into the trials."

"I guess…" Yuna said softly, still staring at the spheres. Yunalesca had been inside of it. That made it hundreds of years old, because after she died 'destroying' Sin, she never left Zanarkand. So she must have come before Sin.

In those times, Summoners were mostly healers and senders, summoning Aeons only in times of great need. Only with the appearance of Sin did they become part of Yevon's religion and so highly honored. Fayth were rare, people willing to give their lives to become an Aeon, to protect Spira. Anyone who became a Fayth was highly honored, never forgotten. And yet this 'Fayth', or whatever it was, had fallen out of history.

Yuna frowned, resting her hand on her chin. Yunalesca had been the first Summoner to confront Sin, and summon the Final Aeon. Before that she had merely been the daughter of Yevon. Why would she have bothered coming to this temple? There were no records of a Fayth on Mt.Gagazat, and who went to all the trouble to hide the temple from everyone…? Maybe Yunalesca had sought to become a Fayth herself? But that didn't fit with what they had seen in the sphere. She'd been talking to someone, in the Chamber of the Fayth itself.

"It doesn't make any sense." She said aloud, softly, as she turned away and started towards the entrance of the trials.

"What doesn't make any sense, Yunie?" Rikku asked, skipping into step beside her.

Yuna shrugged a little, shaking her head. She didn't want to go through the confusing mess, not yet, not until she understood it better. "I think we'll find out soon."

Paine stepped away from the wall and turned towards the archway. Without pausing to wait for Yuna, she stepped into the tunnel, and straight into a invisible wall with a thud.

"Paine! Are you alright?" Yuna stopped dead in her tracks, Tidus nearly running into her from behind at her abrupt halt.

"Yes… but what is that?" Paine rubbed her nose gingerly, taking a step back and looking at the now glowing air. Barely visible glyphs glowed, alternating between the different five present in the room.

"A test." Yuna said as she stared at it. She hadn't seen anything quite like it before, but it wasn't really anything terribly new or surprising. Some temples had sealed pathways like this. Hidden walls in Besaid, firewalls in Kilka, lightning in the temple near the Mushroom Rocks…

"So how do we get by?" Rikku asked, tilting her head with a frown.

"Well, it isn't called the Trials for nothing." Tidus grinned, coming up beside Yuna. "We have to figure out how to turn it off. Right?"

"Yes." Yuna nodded, turning around to look back at the room where they had been standing. "The answer must be here somewhere, with the spheres."

"But they won't budge!" Rikku went over to one of the pedestals, grabbing at the sphere and having no better luck then Yuna had.

"I don't think it's the spheres. I think…" Yuna's voice trailed off, her eyes dropping to the floor. "We probably have to slide the pedestals to some spot on the floor."

"Sounds easy enough." With a long stride, Paine stood in the center of the room and turned slowly in a circle, her eyes to the floor.

"I found one!" Rikku cried, bouncing over to a spot at the floor where a small, square depression lay.

Yuna quickly strode over beside her cousin, peering down at the hole. "Yes, that looks right. But that glyph, inside of it… That's Ifrit's glyph. The pedestal right here beside it…" She waved with her hand as she stood, to the sphere that sat lodged in stone nearby. "Is Valefor's glyph."

"So, they're mixed up. All we have to do is move the stones around and into the right glyphs, right?" Tidus had already begun to move over to Ifrit's pedestal.

Without a word, Paine followed suit, searching the floor and finding another depression and looking to the spheres to see which glyph matched. Rikku quickly moved to do the same, leaving Yuna to do the same.

Peering around the floor, she located the familiar glyph of Valefor, and began to slid the pedestal across to it. As she did, it brought back a flood of memories. Valefor had been her first Aeon, her first Trial. Lulu and Kimahri hadn't helped her with the Trials, she had been expected to do them alone. And she had, rather quickly, Lulu said later. Unusually quick, for such a young summoner. Even though she'd been so nervous and excited, she'd managed to keep her head calm and work out the simple puzzles.

_'That seems so long ago.'_ She thought abruptly, as she pushed the pedestal the final inch and into the depression. _'But it really was only a little more than two years.'_ She sighed, straightening and looking down at sphere. It was still glowing, but she sensed something different about it. The pedestal had sunk into the floor a little, and had probably locked.

Yuna turned around to see how the others were faring. Tidus had finished with Ifrit's, and had moved to Bahamut's. Paine and Rikku were finished the rest, standing nearby at the entrance waiting.

"Need some help?" Yuna grinned, walking over to where Tidus was shoving the stone pedestal across the floor.

"I'm fine!" He groaned, giving the pedestal another shove, sighing in relief as it clicked into place. He stretched and turned to her, grinning broadly though gingerly moving his back. "I forgot how much fun those things were to move."

"I wouldn't have called it fun." Yuna smiled a little back, dusting off her hands.

"Yuna." Paine's voice went through the air with a kind of warning. Yuna's head snapped up to look over to where the warrior stood.

The archway that had been blocked by the invisible wall, was glowing. Or more correctly, the glyphs that were in the center of it were. Each one throbbed with a glowing, unique color, then slowly began to ebb and fade into thin air. As the last glyph disappeared, Yuna came to a halt in front of the archway.

"Looks like it's clear to go now." Paine said quietly, carefully waving her arm in the air where the wall had been.

"That's one trial down." Yuna nodded, her smile fading as she began to mentally prepare herself for what lay ahead.

"Who knows how many more to go." Rikku sighed, slouching her shoulders.

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"Now what?" Rikku frowned, tilting her head as Yuna stood in the small chamber, silently thinking. Paine stood close by, peering at the runes carved into the rock, also deep in thought.

"I'm not sure." Yuna sighed finally, turning around to face her cousin and Tidus. "I never saw anything like this before in the other trials."

"Well, we have to get this sphere, back to the middle chamber, right?" Tidus nodded, looking over to a glowing yellow sphere that was lodged into the wall.

"But if we take it out…" Paine stood up, pointing over to where a line of glowing yellow ran along the wall and into the base of a lift. "We won't be able to get back to that chamber. We'll be stuck in here."

Tidus turned away from the group and looked over the room again. There wasn't anything special about it, save the fact it had a sphere in the side of the wall and the lift where they had come down from. Without the sphere, the lift wouldn't run, and there was no sphere or holder above them to power the lift that way. So how were they supposed to get back with the sphere if they couldn't even take it? They'd been over all the areas they had opened already, but nothing seemed to be jumping out at them. The only door they'd found needed a sphere to open it.

"Well, what if we bring one of the destruction spheres down here and exchange them?" Rikku finally suggested, nodding towards the lift.

"That might destroy the lift." Paine said coldly, shaking her head.

"I don't think so." Yuna said quietly, before Rikku could retort. "The other temples, they were never really dangerous. There was never a situation where you were trapped and unable to get out. You just had to think about it, and work it out. It might take hours, but you'd never be without a exit."

"That's right." Tidus nodded, recalling the various times he'd nearly despaired while trying to get through the Trials. "There's always a way out."

"So, maybe the destruction sphere will open a new way, instead of destroying the lift?" Rikku looked from Paine to Yuna, then to Tidus, with a hopeful glint in her eyes.

"That might be it. I can't think of anything else it would be." With a sigh, Yuna nodded slowly. "Let's go get it."

"I'll go. It'll be faster." Paine quickly interjected, already heading towards the lift without waiting for a response.

"Hey! I'll come too!" Rikku cried, running after the warrior and jumping onto the lift just as it was starting to rise.

"Wonderful." Paine sighed, rolling her eyes. "Be right back." She nodded towards Yuna, as the lift disappeared into the tunnel above.

As the lift's dull hum faded away into silence, Tidus looked over to Yuna. She was standing quite still, looking as though she were deep in thought. But he could sense she wasn't unhappy, she looked energized and hopeful.

Grinning a bit, he walked over to her quietly, so quietly that she didn't even notice him. Their time together since he'd returned had been usually rushed, and on most occasions, somewhat unhappy. And if it wasn't any of that, it was that the others were always hanging around. Rikku probably meant well but it seemed to Tidus she never left Yuna alone for five minutes.

Hugging Yuna from behind he nuzzled his face into her neck. She jumped a little but relaxed right away, and he could almost see her smile.

"Feeling better?" He asked, letting her go after a moment so she could turn around to face him.

"Yes." She was smiling, a beautiful, perfect, happy smile. It was so rare to see on her face, which Tidus promised himself he would change.

"What if the sphere-" She started, but he put both hands up and shook his head rapidly.

"No! Yuna, they're gone right now. When they come back, we can talk about this whole temple mess again. But right now… Let's just forget it." Before he had the chance to hug her, she was hugging him.

"Okay." She said softly, resting her head on his shoulder as she hugged him tighter.

They didn't say anything for a moment, but finally Tidus couldn't let the silence pass by any longer. Paine and Rikku would be back soon, and he didn't want the moment to end.

"Yuna… after this is all over, what do you want to do?" He asked, almost hesitantly, trying to figure out the answer to that himself. What he wanted, what he wanted to do. He wanted to be with her, there wasn't any question in his mind about that.

She didn't say anything for a few minutes, then pulled away a little to look him in the eyes.

"I want… I want to go see Spira again. Before we go home. Just us. I want…" She paused, blinking once, hesitant. It was clear she still wasn't used to telling people what she wanted. For so many years she'd always done what everyone else wanted, and put her own life aside. "I want to leave the Gullwings, and go home. With you." Her voice lost it's strength as she finished her words, and suddenly she was hugging him again, so tightly he almost couldn't breathe properly. He couldn't tell if she was crying, but he knew she was probably close to it.

"It's okay, Yuna." He said softly, kissing her hair and closing his eyes. "We'll go home, together. I'm going to stay with you. I'll always be beside you, I promise." He whispered the words softly, stroking her hair and resting his face next to hers.

Yuna didn't say anything, but she wasn't crying either. After a long moment of embrace, she finally pulled back a little again to look up at him. She was smiling again, even if there were the glint of tears in her eyes.

"Thank you." She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned up to kiss him softly. "I love you." She whispered a moment later, closing her eyes and again resting her head on his shoulder.

Behind them the lift's familiar hum came into the air again, announcing the return of Paine and Rikku.

Tidus gave her another hug, a quick kiss, before the two of them turned to face their companions.

"We got the sphere!" Rikku was grinning from ear to ear, as she jumped off the lift and waved the purple destruction sphere into the air. "Now all we have to-" She cut short, and narrowed her eyes at Yuna. "Wait a minute… What were you two up to?"

"None of our business, whatever it was." Paine sighed, snatching the sphere from Rikku and heading over to the wall.

"Hey! Meanie!" Rikku cried, flinging her hands to her sides in mock rage. "Hmph." She snorted and crossed her arms, turning away from all of them. "Fine! I didn't want to know anyway."

"I'm sure." Paine chuckled, shaking her head. Turning she nodded to Yuna. "Shall we?"

"Okay, let's see if this works." Yuna walked over to where Paine was standing in front of the wall with the sphere and glowing paths. Grasping the sphere, she carefully pulled it out, and with a sudden hum, the glowing lines went out. Behind them, the lift stopped humming.

"Here goes nothing." Paine carefully pressed the destruction sphere into the new hole, and stepped back.

A dull hum began as the lines began to fill with a purple glow, stretching out cross the wall until it had covered it in a ray like pattern. For a moment, it stayed perfectly still, the purple glowing almost eerily as the humming began to get higher in pitch. Then suddenly, with a high shattering sound, the sphere broke apart and with it, the wall.

When the dust cleared, a tunnel was revealed. Coughing away the dust, Tidus looked over to Yuna.

"Well, I guess that worked." She smiled a little, coughing and waving her hand in front of her face to try and clear the dust from her eyes. "Guess we go forward."

"Way ahead of you!" Rikku grinned, dashing forward with a somewhat giddy skip.

"Rikku, we should stick together!" Yuna called after her, a look of caution clear on her face. "We don't know what might be in there…"

"No problem! This place is empty." Rikku called back at them, stopped a little ways away at the end of the narrow tunnel. "I think I found what we're looking for!"

As Yuna moved with Paine to follow Rikku, Tidus held back for a minute and surveyed the area. Something didn't feel right, but it did seem clear. He couldn't hear or see anything that might indicate a fiend attack. But still… He sensed something wasn't quite right.

"Hey, maybe we shouldn't just walk in there…" He dashed after Yuna, falling into step beside her.

"Why?" She stopped, turning to him, as Paine kept going.

"I don't know, it doesn't feel right. It could be at trap." He frowned, looking around the tunnel again.

"You're right… It does feel a bit odd." Yuna said, after a moment. "But it seems fine."

"Maybe I'm just being too cautious." He sighed, shaking his head.

"No, it's okay." She smiled, resuming her walk as he followed beside her. "After what we've been through, it's understandable."

"Come on guys, hurry up! This is it!" Rikku cried, jumping up and down as the two of them came to a halt in front of her.

"What is it?" Tidus frowned, tilting his head.

"It's a sphere holder thingy, silly!" Rikku sighed, putting her hands on her hips. "I thought you knew about temples!"

"Yeah, thanks a lot Rikku. I can see it's a holder, but what's that thing behind it?" Tidus snapped, glaring a little in Rikku's general direction.

"Don't start, you two. I can't handle anymore squabbling. From anybody." Paine glared at the both of them, catching Tidus just before he tried to snap back at Rikku.

Yuna, meanwhile, was inspecting the area and ignoring all three of them. Tidus sighed and reprimanded himself. He should be doing the same, not trying to bicker with Rikku.

"You're right, Rikku. This is what we've been looking for." Yuna straightened, and smiled. "All we have to do, is push this into the wall. It already has a sphere in it, so it should power the lift. These lines on the wall… they should connect to the lift."

"And if it doesn't?" Paine raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms.

"Don't be such a pessimist!" Rikku stomped her foot, shooting a look of daggers at the warrior.

"It should, I don't see why it wouldn't." Yuna said, shrugging. "What else can we do?"

"You have a point." Paine nodded once, reaching for her sword. "Go ahead. We should be prepared just in case." She looked to Tidus, and he too drew out Brotherhood. Something wasn't right, Paine must have felt it too. With the sword in his hand, he felt better already as Yuna began to push the column into the wall's recess.

There was an audible click as the column slid into place, then nothing. Yuna blinked and stood up, looking at the wall in front of her. As they watched, slowly, the sphere's energy began to spread along the lines, curling around the wall in a intricate, unfamiliar design. Increasing in speed it soon shot by them on the hallway's wall, down to where they had come, towards the lift. After another minute, they heard the familiar hum of the lift powering up.

"Well, we were right!" Rikku grinned, punching the air. "Score another victory for the Gullwings!"

"That was too easy." Paine muttered, looking around the room. "I don't like it."

"What do you like, Paine?" Rikku sighed, rolling her eyes. "Come on, Yunie, let's get back to the main room with the sphere!"

Yuna hesitated for a second, and Tidus could see that the doubt was in her eyes as well. She knew it was too easy just like Paine and he did. Though, there had been easy puzzles before in the temples. It seemed strange though, considering the previous ones.

Another minute ticked by, and nothing changed. The air was silent, uncomfortably silent, as even Rikku quieted and stood perfectly still, listening, waiting.

Nothing.

Tidus slowly let out a breathe he didn't realize he'd been holding. An instant later, so did Rikku, and Yuna. Only Paine remained still, though she seemed to look not quite as wary as before.

"Well, I guess there wasn't anything to worry about after-"

A loud bang broke Rikku off and made them all jump. Spinning around they turned to a wall beside them that had none of the sphere lines on it. When they'd looked at it before, it was an ordinary wall, decorated with some strange carvings.

Now it was coming alive. A rumble began to fill the air, a sound of metal against stone.

"…All?" Rikku squeaked, completing her now useless sentence as she backed away from the rumbling wall.

"What is that?" Tidus stared, backing away and dragging Yuna with him.

"I…" There was another deafening bang, and a cloud of dust erupted from the wall.

"Get out of here!" Paine shouted suddenly, giving Yuna a hard shove towards the hallway where they'd come. Tidus followed after her, looking behind to see Paine still standing in the small chamber.

"What are you doing?" Rikku screeched, halfway following Tidus, but stopping to look back at the warrior.

As they stood in the hall, the dust began to clear and the strange 'thing' was revealed. Though the design was very old, and it was covered in bits of rock and dust, it was obvious what it was…

"A Yevon Machina…" Yuna's breathe came out as a gasp, and she took a step backwards.

"A thousand year old, Yevon Machina." Paine gritted her teeth, holding her sword up in front of her. "There's no room for all of us to fight. This hallways too narrow. You two, get up there and take care of that room with the sphere. Me and Rikku will handle this."

"Me?!" Rikku squeaked, but was already pulling out her blades. "Why'd you have to volunteer me along?"

"There's no time to talk about this, Rikku!" Paine barked, jumping backwards as the Machina swung a massive arm at her. She turned her head to look at Tidus and Yuna for a single instant. "Yuna, go! We'll be fine!"

Yuna didn't need anymore urging. The sight of the Machina seemed to have shaken her a little, and Paine's argument was true. The hallway was much too narrow for them to fight too, there was barely enough room for Paine to swing her sword and Rikku to edge in from the side.

"I don't feel right leaving them…" Yuna looked behind them as they walked towards the lift, her eyes full of worry and mixed emotions. Though the Machina was large, it wasn't very fast. The two could easily dodge the attacks, and seemed to be making progress already by hacking at the things legs.

"They'll be fine." Tidus assured her, though he was a little worried himself. "Let's go take care of this Fayth."

They walked towards the lift, and the journey up to the level above was made in silence. Yuna was fidgeting, obviously still worried and anxious about what was going on. It wasn't usual for them to split up, not when there was an enemy like that. Tidus's own thoughts were mixed, he shared the same worry but also wondered if the two of them would be alright as well. Yuna was strong, and so was he, but who knew what lay behind that door. If they had to fight the Fayth, it might not be so simple as just fighting a normal fiend… and if Yuna had to go in and send it, he didn't know if it'd be safe for him to be there. What if he could get sent?

Shaking his head he tried to toss the thoughts away. They'd cross that bridge when they got to it. They still didn't know if the door would even open yet.

The lift came to a halt and the two of them stepped off, heading down one of the three tunnels towards the main chamber.

"I sure hope this works." Yuna said quietly as they walked, the sphere clutched in her hand tightly.

"It will." Tidus said quickly, grinning. She attempted a smile as well, but it seemed forced. He barely managed to stop himself from dropping his grin at the sight, and grabbed her hand. "And Rikku and Paine will be fine."

Yuna sighed a little, nodding. "I know. I just can't help worrying. We've always stuck together these last few months. Now we're separating more and more." There was a little sadness in her voice, as she looked down at the floor.

Tidus tilted his head to look at her, but her face was hidden partially by her hair. She seemed to notice his movement and looked up a little.

"But…" She started, shaking her head and attempting a smile, somehow reading the look on his face, "I'll be able to take a break. Paine is leaving soon anyway… I guess nothing lasts forever." Though she wished it could, that was clear from the look on her face. He wondered how she managed to keep up with everything, so many major changes in her life. It was something he admired about her, even if he knew she wasn't always as strong as she made everyone think.

"I'm sure Rikku will find a way to drag you back into things." He grinned after a minute, and was happy to see her respond with a muffled giggle.

"I don't doubt it for a minute."

The continued on down the hall in silence, Yuna looking a little better than she had been a few moments before.

After a few minutes of following the hallway, and walking in silence, they reached the main crossway. Stopping, Yuna peered down each tunnel, then looked to the one that led towards the sealed door.

"I guess that was the only machina released." She commented quietly, as they began to head towards the doorway. Tidus felt himself jump a little at the thought. Knowing the way things usually went, he expected another machina to show up any minute after hearing her say that.

But nothing happened. The last bit of the walk was uneventful, and the hallway seemed completely unchanged. The door was still sealed in front of them, a hole for a sphere placed in the center.

"I hope this works." Yuna said softly, and without another moment of hesitation, reached forward and pressed the sphere into the hole. There was a click, as it sealed smoothly in, and then silence. The two of them drew back from the door, watching, waiting in silence.

As they watched, glyphs on the door began to glow. Glowing trails ran along the edges of the door's frame, lighting up the tunnel with a eerie sort of yellow light.

Then the movement stopped, and the yellow continued to glow silently. For a frightful moment, Tidus worried that they'd done something wrong and that it wasn't going to work after all. But just as he was about to speak, there was a grinding sound, and the doors began to swing open, the glyphs growing brighter than normal.

When the doors had opened fully, Yuna took a cautious step forward, Tidus following closely behind. He looked around the room that they had accessed, but couldn't see anything that looked like a threat. In fact, it looked exactly like any other temple of the Fayth.

Except a few differences.

Yuna gasped a little, as she walked to the center of the room and slowly looked around.

"There's no statues…" Her voice was filled with disbelief and perhaps even fear. That truly dated how old it was, after all, and how long it had been abandoned. "There's supposed to be statues of all the High Summoners in every temple…" Her voice trailed off, as she let her hands drop to her sides.

"Yunalesca's still there." Tidus nodded, pointing up to the roof. Yuna followed his hand and tilted her head.

"Why would they go to all this trouble and then just seal it up?" She said aloud, voicing a thought he had as well.

"I guess they changed their minds." He shrugged, frowning as he took another look around the room. It was lit dimly with yellow fire, glowing unnaturally bright and in a rather strange shade. Just like with the lights they had seen earlier, the fires had probably been burning ever since the temple had been made. Knowing that no one had walked in the temple since Yunalesca, sent a shiver down Tidus's spine. It wasn't a very comfortable thought.

"This is it." Yuna's voice interrupted his thoughts, as she faced the stairs that led up to an all too familiar doorway. "I have to go and finish it." The last of the Fayth. She was going to send the last of the Fayth.

Tidus grimaced at the memories, and grabbed her arm. "We can go together, right?" He asked, looking her in the eyes, a strange sort of worry grasping at him.

"Yes." She smiled and nodded, taking her hand in hers and squeezing it. "The taboos don't matter anymore." Though he could see by the look on her face there was a voice deep inside of her that screamed against doing such a thing. The years and years of training still wanted to command her.

Tidus smiled back, and together they started walking up the stairs. He wasn't exactly thrilled at the idea of going in, it hadn't been quite a pleasant experience last time. He'd gone to rescue Yuna that time, when he'd got tired of waiting and believed she was in danger. Everyone else had been shocked, but Kimarhi had known. He'd helped open the door, and Tidus had been able to squeeze under. There he'd found Yuna out cold, and for a unpleasant instant, he believed her wounded. Maybe even… No. She'd been fine, in the end. But waiting for them outside had been soldiers, and they'd taken her away from him before he could see her wake up.

"Are you okay?" Yuna spoke softly, reaching up with a hand to touch his face. He must have looked distant, because somehow she seemed to know that something was wrong. Her eyes were concerned, her manner hesitant.

"Yeah. I'm fine." He gave her a grin. That was the past. If anyone at all, it'd be Rikku and Paine who'd be waiting for them when they got out. "Let's do it." He made a fist and pulled it down, his sort of way of giving a thumbs up that he'd learned from blitzball. She smiled, and let go of his hand to step forward to the doorway.

She slowed to a stop, and bowed in front of the doorway. Her manner had changed suddenly, into one that he remembered well. Her movements were fluid yet stiff in feeling, and as he watched she hesitatingly performed the prayer to Yevon. Another shiver ran down his back. She had to concentrate, he knew, to be able to use her Summoner powers, and it was probably easiest if she got in the same mindset that she had been in for those years, but… It seemed wrong, watching the new Yuna, not wearing her familiar skirt and bow, doing such a thing.

Standing straight she raised her hands and pressed at the door gently.

Nothing happened.

She frowned, pressing a little harder.

Still nothing.

"Yuna?" He asked, frowning.

"It's supposed to…" Her voice was so quiet and foggy with memory he barely heard her. "I did the right prayer, and the magic. It should… Hmm." She pulled away from the door. "I don't understand."

Suddenly the door began to glow, dimly at first, then brighter. As the two of them watched in a stunned silence, five glyphs played over the door, each a different color, each a obvious mark. Valefor, Ifrit, Ixion, Shiva, and Bahamut.

"This is too familiar." He muttered, watching them warily.

Yuna remained silent, watching the glyphs and peering closer at them. She seemed deep in thought, and he didn't try to disturb her.

"Hey, what's wrong?" A voice called from behind him. He turned to see Rikku and Paine walking into the room, looking the same as they did when they'd left them.

"Are you guys okay?" He asked, moving down the stairs to meet them.

"We're fine. I told you we could handle it. What's wrong with Yuna?" Paine ran over Rikku's attempt to say anything, and looked directly at Tidus.

"I'm… not sure." Tidus shrugged helplessly, looking back to see her still standing like some kind of statue.

"Hey, Yunie! What's going on?" Rikku shouted, before Paine could stop her. Tidus winced, but was surprised to see Yuna didn't even twitch.

"Yunie?" Rikku blinked after a minute, looking confused at the lack of any kind of a reaction.

A long silence hung in the air, the three of them watching Yuna as she stood unmoving, staring at the glyphs.

"Maybe she's talking to the Fayth." Said Paine suddenly, her tone quiet and wary.

Rikku yelped, looking from Paine to Yuna. "We have to help her!"

"What can we do?" Paine shrugged, shaking her head. "We wait."

"You sound like Auron." Tidus blurted out, walking back up the stairs towards Yuna. He didn't want to talk to them anymore, it wasn't making him feel any better.

"Auron?" Paine blinked, looking to Rikku.

"Weren't you listening to the story recap?" Rikku sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Yuna?" Tidus said quietly, coming up beside her.

"I…" Her voice broke the air suddenly, like a gasp of someone taking air after being underwater for too long a time. Yuna tore her eyes away from the doorway, and looked straight at Tidus.

"Oh, please, no. Why can't…" He heard her say quietly, before her eyes closed and he barely had time to catch her as she fell.

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A/N: Forgive me if the last few pages of this chapter were at all rushed feeling or badly written. I think I did my best, but I can't be sure. I haven't slept in twenty four hours and I felt inspired to do this, so I gave up on the idea of sleeping and finished it off. I had to do this tonight, I couldn't let myself to let it go one more day. Next chapter will be around in two weeks, I hope. Ugh. I hope this uploads right. If there's any glaring mistakes (though I'm pretty sure they're aren't, or weren't), please tell me, I'll correct them and upload a new version ASAP.


	22. Chapter 21 Failing Hope

Yeah… late again. I'm sorry guys, I had to put this on backburner for a week or two, I was really busy with a bunch of school and stuff called real life… ugh. But here's the chapter, finally, and the next one should be… as soon as I can get it out. Which might be sooner than you or I think. Anyway, again, I'm really sorry, and happy holidays to everyone out there. Thanks for sticking around to read this.

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In reply to comments –

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a random person obsessed with this story

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Yeah, I notice that now, that you mention it, that I'm sort of repeating scenes over again with Tidus/Yuna… (I'm so embarrassed to only see that now too…) To be perfectly honest, I've NEVER written fluff before this fanfic, so I guess that's my excuse. Not a very good one… but yeah. I'll try to make it different. I half like writing fluff, and half don't. It's easy to overdue, and I don't want to overdue it with this fic. And of course, I can never win… I end up repeating myself. Gah! Thanks for pointing that out though… I'll go through the chapters again and maybe make a few tiny edits here and there when I finish this fic. And I'll make sure it doesn't happen in future chapters. Really sorry about that. head-desk

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Anyway, speaking of going back to chapters and editing them… I'm pretty sure now, that I'm going to make a… 'special edition' of this fic, or whatever you want to call it. Probably around the time I finish the fic, I'll try to upload all the changes I made to the chapters, minor changes, a few additions, to make it overall, a bit better. Course this means you poor people will have to read through it all again… which doesn't sound very fair or fun. So… I might make a list of changes and put that somewhere so you can see. SO, any problems you've seen so far, or things that are glaringly wrong, tell me now, and I'll try to tweak em. I'm NOT re-writing the story, just tweaking. I MIGHT add a few extra scenes to the beginning, though I'm really not sure yet.

I realize I've come a ways since I started it… I never intended it to be more than a few chapters, really, just for fun. So there's a lot of things I didn't sort out properly. I'm just really sorry you guys had to read it with problems in it (even if they're minor).

Uh, Yeah, can you tell, I'm a perfectionist? Sigh.

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- SMALL ANNOUNCEMENT -

Yes, I know, this before-chapter stuff is too long already, but this is kind of important. Alright, so it's not really, but anyway, if you're interested at all on how the progress is going on the next chapter, or you want to suggest something I should modify for the 'special edition' thing, this is my 'Writing' journal, as it were, for my fanfics. In short, I'm going to make posts updating how my work is going on the new chapters, so you don't think I've fallen off the face of the planet. This will probably push me to update faster (yay!) and actually DO the SE thing. Alright. So here is the link. Not going to twist your arms and tell you to go and comment, or even read, but there it is, and I WILL be posting updates and things. Yes. Okay, I've talked too long now. Don't have to comment, bottom line, but if you want to, just go under anonymous if you don't have a journal there. That's fine. I don't mind.

The link to this journal – 

Okay. Seriously, finished now. Sorry.

As usual, I don't own FFX or FFX2.

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Chapter 21

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"Yunie? Yunie, are you okay?" Rikku held Yuna's limp hand, patting it and staring at her with a look of panic. "Yunie?"

"She's worn herself out." Paine was on Tidus's other side, shaking her head as she looked at Yuna resting in his arms.

Tidus looked down at her face and frowned a little. This had happened before, well, sort of. The very first time he'd met her, she'd collapsed, but she hadn't fainted completely. Maybe it was something of the same thing, she had been in a sort of trance.

"We should get her back to the ship." Paine added, nodding her head to the way they came.

"What about the Fayth?" Rikku cried, pointing to the door behind them. "We've come all this way! Shouldn't we go in and take care of it?"

Paine's gaze turned from Yuna to the door. "I don't think we can 'get rid of it' without Yuna. We'll have to wait for her to wake up. And besides…" She shook her head slowly, touching the door gently and grimacing as if burned. "I don't think any of us could open it."

"But me and Kimarhi forced Bevelle's chamber open." Tidus turned his head, trying to move as little as possible so he wouldn't jolt Yuna.

"Yeah, but that was Bevelle. We've seen already this temple is a lot weirder than the others."

"But why should it be any different?" Rikku cried, shaking her head and sending her braids flying. "Tidus, we have to try!"

"Go ahead and try, Rikku. You already saw the seals in the other rooms, I doubt this is any different." Paine added in, before Tidus could reply.

"Then what are we going to do? We can't just leave!" Rikku's voice hit a high pitch that was a sure sign of an upcoming panic.

"We could try bombing it open with some of those Al Bhed grenades you've got." Paine suggested, nodding to Rikku. She blinked a few times, then shook her head wildly.

"No no no! That won't work!" She kicked at the floor and scowled. "We've tried to do that with Yevon's stuff for years and years. It just backfires. The magic seems to react to the explosion and… reflect it. We just end up killing ourselves." She gave a long sigh. "It might start a cave in or something if we try. This place doesn't look finished, it's probably not very stable."

"Great." Tidus muttered, looking down at Yuna.

Paine looked back to the door, and said nothing, apparently out of suggestions.

Rikku finally spoke after a half moment, going over to Tidus's side. "You're right. I guess we should wait for Yunie to wake up. But… why do we have to go all the way back to the ship? Why can't we just wait here?"

Tidus barely stopped a frown from appearing on his face. "Because it's cold in here and Yuna needs a warm bed, not a pile of rocks. You guys can stay here and argue for all I care, but I'm taking Yuna back to the ship." He didn't care if he sounded like he was snapping, he was a bit fed up with this entire thing, and how badly it kept affecting Yuna. He didn't care if it was the wrong thing to do, he just wanted to take care of her.

Without waiting for a reply from either of them, he started down the stairs and towards the main hall, trying to be as gentle about it as he could.

"Hey, wait up!" Cried Rikku, a few minutes later when the two of them had seemingly recovered from his abrupt statement.

He didn't stop, or look back. After a few minutes Rikku came jogging up beside him, Paine walking calmly behind them.

"Do you need help?" Rikku said after a few moments of silence, looking at him timidly.

"I'm fine." He readjusted Yuna slightly in his arms, making sure not to let her arms fall. She was really quite light, or maybe he was just a lot stronger than he'd thought. Or maybe it was just both. He sighed quietly, too quiet for Rikku to hear. This whole thing was really starting to get to him, even though he didn't want to admit it. Every time they seemed to be getting somewhere, something happened. Not that he hadn't expected it… Things like this always had a way of getting complicated. But he just wished that it'd all just stop, and that everything could be peaceful. Yuna had seemed to have had a peaceful two years, up until Shuyin. Now it was falling apart again.

_'No, that's not right. It's not falling apart.'_ He thought, staring blankly at the passage in front of them as he walked. _'This is just a problem that nobody saw coming. Maybe this will be the end of Yevon for good. Maybe after this there won't be anymore Fayth or Aeons or Yevon's magic or anything. Maybe this is just the last stage, even if nobody expected it.'_

Tidus felt happy at the thought, then suddenly a dim fear gripped him. _'What did Yuna mean, when she said that? I think she talked to the Fayth, somehow… But what did it say? Was it something… about the dreaming?'_

Shuddering, he tried not to let his sudden panic show. No sense in getting Rikku worked up about it, more than she already was.

_'No, no more guessing. I'll just ask Yuna, when she wakes up.'_ He commanded himself, but it was difficult. Worry nipped at the back of his mind as he walked, thinking about all that had happened and all that could happen.

_'How am I here?'_ He asked himself. _'Why am I here? Is it really because the Fayth wanted to repay Yuna somehow? Or… is it some kind of accident? Am I just a dream again? Is it because of this forgotten Fayth? Am I… am I going to disappear if she sends that thing? I don't know… I want to know. I don't want to disappear again, I don't want to do that to Yuna.'_

"Tidus, are you okay?" Rikku tilted her head, looking worried.

_'No.'_

"Yeah, I'm fine."

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Yuna's awoke with a jerk. Throwing herself up she nearly collided with Tidus, who had not expected her sudden movement. He caught her just before she fell clear of the bed, blinking in surprise. He'd been sitting on the bed beside her, apparently watching over her. What had happened?

She frowned, watching Paine and Rikku approach as Tidus said something aloud. She couldn't hear it properly, her mind was still someplace else.

_'Where… am I?'_

"We're in the airship." Tidus said, holding her hand. She blinked. Had she said that aloud, or had she thought it? Pressing her free hand to her forehead she closed her eyes and groaned. Her head was throbbing, but strangely quiet.

_'Quiet?'_

Yuna opened her eyes again and looked straight at Tidus. "They're gone…"

"What?" Paine asked from her other side.

"The screams… they're gone."

"Gone?" Rikku repeated, a look of glee on her face. "You mean, you sent it?!"

Yuna went silent, listening intently while trying to ignore the pounding in her skull.

Everyone else stayed silent, watching her as if she was going to faint again.

Concentrating, she strained inside her mind to hear what she'd been hearing for the last few days. No, it wasn't there. She couldn't-

Crying out aloud, she clutched at her head with both hands. The scream was dim, barely audible, but it was there. When she tried to ignore it again, it drifted away into silence.

Slowly, she let out a sigh, and shook her head. "No… It's still there. But, I can't hear it very well. It's gotten quiet."

Paine frowned, crossing her arms. "Yuna, what happened back there?"

"I'm… I'm not sure. I need to think…" Her voice was weak, quiet, she barely recognized herself. What had happened? She could barely remember. It was slowly coming back to her, but…

"Take your time." Tidus said beside her, smiling a bit. She felt a little comfort in that, then closed her eyes and thought.

Yuna sat in silence, hearing the others around her whispering to themselves, things she couldn't quite make out, or really want to make out. Instead she tried to focus on what had happened, the fragments that were in her mind of what had occurred… The harder she focused, the clearer they became, until suddenly, it all snapped back as clearly as if she was there all over again.

She spoke aloud, though she barely noticed her own voice.

"Fayth, can you hear me? I'm here, I'm here to help. But I can't get to you, I need more time. Can you hear me? Please, don't keep crying, it'll be over soon."

The Fayth replied, and Yuna found herself speaking the words aloud, though in a different tone. "Summoner, summoner… send me, end the pain, summoner, end the pain, please, summoner. I've suffered so long, it hurts so. Please, please…"

"I can't get to you. Please, tell me what I have to do, how to reach you, so I can send you. I don't know how. Why were you trapped here like this?"

Yuna continued, her eyes closed, hearing the others grow silent around her as they listened.

"Summoner, Yunalesca, Summoner, she came. She trapped me. She hates me. She killed me. She betrayed me. She trapped me. Her wrath trapped me. I was a fool. Fool. Fool. Summoner, help, send us. Open the seals. Open the seals with tokens. Tokens of the temples. Tokens that prove your worth. Prove your strength. She didn't… want… anyone… but her… to come. Sealed her secrets away with the screaming Fayth. Hid the tokens. Bring the tokens. Summoner, please, bring them. Hurry. Summoner. Please. I can… control, the pain, Summoner. You have… time. Hurry Summoner. Bring the tokens. Please."

"These tokens… you mean, spheres? From all the temples? Which temples? Please, tell me, so I can find them!"

"Fayth… Family… Family I never touched, family I should have been. The Fayth. The Aeons. The beloved. Five Aeons, five tokens, five seals, five Fayth. Five. Valefor the twisting wind, Ifrit the raging fire, Ixion the flashing thunder, Shiva the freezing ice, Bahamut… the flare-bearer. Five. Five tokens. Five temples. Five Fayth. Five. Summoner, the five. Spheres. Tokens. Five. Please."

The voice died on her lips, and suddenly her eyes opened, to face her worried friends.

"Yuna… are you okay?" Paine frowned, tilting her head.

"You were talking really weird." Rikku blinked, scratching the side of her head.

"So, it is a sphere hunt after all." Tidus sighed, his hand resting lightly on her shoulder.

"Yes." Yuna said quietly, barely a whisper.

"But we have time? You actually talked the Fayth into calming down?" Paine asked, still frowning.

"Yes, I think so." Yuna nodded, standing up. "We better get started." No sooner had she taken a step, then everything began to wobble around her and her eyesight went black. Tidus caught her arm and held her steady, helping her sit back down on the bed. "Um…" She blinked a few times, clearing her eyes of the darkness.

"You need to rest, Yuna." Sighed Paine, crossing her arms. "What you told us sounds simple enough. We'll go talk to Brother. Maybe contact Shinra and get his opinion on where to find these… spheres. You just get some rest, we'll get started on our hunt in the morning."

Yuna opened her mouth to protest, but knew it was useless. It was late, and she knew she was in no condition to go running around anymore that night. Even if she wanted to.

"Yeah Yunie, don't worry about it. We'll get it all sorted out!" Rikku smiled brightly, looking somewhat relieved. Tidus too, looked a bit relieved. Yuna wondered if perhaps they had been expecting worse news.

"I just wish, it was over." Yuna commented quietly, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, everyone."

"Sorry?" Paine frowned even more. "Why are you sorry?"  
"I thought I could send the Fayth from outside the chamber. I hope, anyway. I couldn't… and now we have to go out on another hunt."

"It won't take us long, Yunie! Really!" Rikku kneeled down in front of her cousin, taking her hand and patting it. "We can snatch em all in one day, I bet!"

"I wouldn't be so optimistic." Paine sighed, but uncrossed her arms and seemed to lose her frown. "But, she's right. It won't take us long, Yuna. And if you've bought us time, it should be easier than before. We know what we're looking for, right?"

"Yes, I suppose." Yuna sighed, blinking blearily and wishing very much that everything was just magically sorted out. But of course, it wasn't. And it wouldn't be, not yet. Somehow though, she'd manage. She always did…

"Alright, enough chatter. Let Yuna get some rest already." Tidus stood up, and herded the two out of the cabin. "You guys go talk to Brother."

"What about you?" Rikku snapped, turning around in the doorway.

"Just get going!" He snapped right back at her, though in a somewhat light manner as he shut the door in her face.

By the time he was up the stairs again, Yuna's world was swimming. She was so tired, she could barely keep her eyes open, let alone focus on him.

"You going to be okay?" He asked, sitting down beside her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"I think so. I just… need to rest." She blinked a few times, barely fighting the urge to let her eyelids close. "And… I just, wanted to thank you."

He sounded surprised when he answered. "Thank me? What for?"

"For helping me, for… being here." She smiled at him, and let her eyes close.

"Oh." He said quietly, then removed his arm and let her lay down. "Good-night, Yuna." He bent down and kissed her forehead gently, and before she could even think of replying, she felt herself doze off.

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"How's Yuna?" Rikku and Brother asked in unison, the moment Tidus stepped foot in the bridge.

Tidus blinked as the two Al Bhed rushed towards him, then shrugged lightly. "Okay, I think. She's sleeping now." He didn't smile, he couldn't help but feel worried. Though he didn't dream of suspecting she was lying a little about what happened, he had a feeling she was hiding something. He didn't want to know what it was, as much as he wanted to know.

Brother hung his head, and muttered something in Al Bhed that sounded as if he was relieved.

"So, now what?" Tidus said quickly, brushing past the two and into the middle of the bridge. He looked to Cid and Buddy, who were standing together talking quietly. Paine stood a little ways away in the shadows, her eyes lost in thought.

"Now, we talk to Shinra." Buddy turned to look at Tidus, as Cid called up something on one of the computer panels.

"What's he going to do?" Tidus blinked, tilting his head.

"Who knows. We're hoping he can scan the temples for us. He's given us directions before." Paine commented lightly, crossing her arms.

Rikku came up beside Cid and tapped her foot. "Oh sure, sometimes. If he says 'Oooh I'm justa kid' this time, he's going to get it." She sounded a little irritated, as she watched the view screen flicker.

"Connecting to the commspheres." Cid announced, though seemingly to no one in particular.

"Great." Tidus sighed, turning away from all of them. He was getting really tired of all of this, of Yuna suffering, of this Fayth just beyond their reach… and now the looming idea of having to go tracking around Spira again to find spheres. It wasn't so much he wasn't up to it, he enjoyed adventure. But with the threat to Yuna… and that growing fear that something was going to happen to him…

"Hey Shinra, you there?" Cid bellowed, as Tidus stopped in front of the bridge's windows and stared out at the night storm.

"Shinra here." Came a crackling reply a few minutes later, accompanied by a blast of static. "What do you need?" He asked, after another blast.

"Heya Shinra. We've got a problem… think you can use that brain of yours to help us out?" Rikku announced, coming up beside Cid and waving at the commsphere screen.

"What's the problem?" Shinra asked in his usual calm and seemingly unconcerned voice.

Tidus listened with half a ear as Rikku and Paine gave Shinra the short version of what had happened. Of the spheres, the glyphs, the seals, and finally, of Yuna's 'vision'. As they talked, Brother and the others stood around nearby, listening silently. Tidus began to pace, though he didn't realize it until Rikku shot him a concerned look.

"Well…" Shinra said finally, sounding as if he were in some deep thought. "I don't know what I can do to help. I'm just-"

"Shinra!" Rikku screeched, leaping into the air and waving her hands in a flurry. "Cut that out!"

Shinra went silent, and the commsphere gave another static burst.

"Look, is there some way you can scan for sphere waves in the temples?" Paine asked pointedly, leaning on the wall and looking rather irritated.

"Paine, do you have any idea how many spheres are IN the temples?" Came the Al Bhed's reply, sounding as if he doubted Paine's sanity.

"Can't you scan for specific ones? Like, ones that are a little different? Maybe hidden?" Rikku asked before Paine could give a reply.

There was another short silence.

"Well... I can't promise anything, but I'll try, for Yuna."

Tidus felt himself jerk at the words. They reminded him far too much of the words Yuna had told him the Fayth Bahamut had used. It was nothing more than a coincidence, he wasn't stupid enough to think it wasn't, but it still sent an eerie chill down his spine.

"Great. Thanks a bunch, Shinra!" Rikku grinned, and the commsphere clicked off.

"So how long till we find out?" Tidus turned back to the others, walking to the middle of the group.

"Who knows with Shinra." Paine shrugged. "Could be a couple hours. If not that, morning. He won't make us wait long."

"Hey Tidus, calm down. You look all… tense." Rikku put a hand on his shoulder, looking a little worried as she peered closely at him.

"I'm fine." He snapped, a little harsher than intended, and Rikku looked somewhat hurt by it. "Uh… Sorry, Rikku." Tidus sighed, shaking his head and looking back to the storm outside. "I'm just worried."

"We all are." Paine stared at him with her cold, hard eyes. It was if she were trying to see through him, trying to see what was inside of him. What he was thinking, what he was so worried about. Or maybe she was just trying to judge his character, or what she thought of him. Whatever the look meant, it made him uncomfortable. He shrugged and turned away.

"I'm going to bed." The warrior announced after a moment, and Tidus heard her stride away to the lift.

"Probably not a bad idea." Buddy yawned. "We should all get some rest. Who knows what will happen tomorrow."

"I don't want to even think about that." Rikku sighed heavily, and Tidus was somewhat surprised by the tension he suddenly heard in her voice. So she was just as worried as he was.

"Hey Tidus, don't forget to sleep." The Al Bhed came over beside him and punched him lightly in the shoulder playfully. "You'll upset Yuna if you get sick."

"Don't worry about me." He faked a smile, and Rikku seemed to except it.

"Okay, see you later." She grinned, relief showing on her face as she sauntered off.

"Yeah." Sighing, Tidus went over to one of the cockpits, and climbed in. Leaning on the back of the chair he stared up at the window above and at the falling snow. It was very peaceful, and at the same time, eerie. He heard the others slowly mill out of the bridge, and he didn't bother to watch them go. He didn't want to talk to anyone, he didn't want to go down to the cabins with them. They'd only try to talk more, and right now… He couldn't.

"Don't take me away from her." He said aloud, to no one in particular. "Not again."

Closing his eyes, he tried to let go of all the building up worry and pain. But it stayed lodged in his throat like a ball of ice, and before he knew it, he felt a familiar urge to cry.

Here he was again, in Spira. With Yuna. It was the most amazing thing, it's what he had wanted. Those brief moments he hadn't been here, when he'd been in… Zanarkand, or the Far Plane, whatever it was, hadn't been good. He'd been alone, even if he'd been with his father and Auron. He couldn't remember what it'd been like anymore, those brief moments, other than they'd been… painful. He hadn't been ready to be there.

Then he was suddenly back. And he was happy, more happy than he'd ever been, even. But there was still the pain. As childish as it was, there was still the longing in his heart to see Zanarkand again, to go back there. Even if this was his home now, it was hard to forget what he'd been, where he'd been.

_'I wanted to show you Zanarkand, Yuna. I really did. And I know I can't, and I know I'll never see it again. That shouldn't matter. But it does.'_ He let out a long sigh.

He only felt this because of his worry for Yuna. It'd brought him down, just far enough, to remember all the bad things. He had to forget about them, they didn't matter. They didn't matter.

_'I wouldn't trade Yuna for anything. If I'm with her, nothing else matters. I can manage. Just… don't take me away from her.'_ His thoughts bounced in his head, as if somehow he could talk to something with them.

But how was he even here to begin with? What was keeping him here? The Fayth were gone. Was this last Fayth all that was left? Was it what was binding him? If she sent it, would he… disappear? He knew perfectly well she thought the same thing. But her duty was to Spira. It'd always been to Spira, and it still was now. He didn't blame her for that, but he didn't like it.

_'Yeah, and what would you do?'_ He thought to himself with a growl. _'Leave Spira to rot just so you can be happy?'_

He didn't know what to do, what to think. He just wanted it to all work out somehow, so they could both get their happy ending, together. Like it should have been, two years ago. Spira saved, and the two of them together. Was that just a … dream?

Opening his eyes he stared out at the storm again, feeling a tear trickle down his face.

He could hear his father's mocking words echoing somewhere in his head, and he felt ashamed. He shouldn't be crying like this, he shouldn't be despairing. Yuna had been Spira's hope, now he his hope for Yuna's sake. There was no way he was going to let her see him like this, let her know how worried he was. She had enough worry for herself.

"I'm not a dream." He said finally, staring out defiantly at the snow. "I'm here. I'm not a dream. I'm not going to disappear. I'm not going to leave her."

The mountain made no comment, but he felt as if something at the edge of his mind stirred. Then it was gone like a brush of wind, and he was too tired to fight sleep anymore. Closing his eyes, he dozed off, into a dreamless sleep.


	23. Chapter 22 Old Rivals

As promised… here is the chapter, on time, and no more silly notice. (Well on time if uploads this right… ahh! It better. I tried so hard to have this done today.) And that notice thing won't happen ever again, I can assure you. I just really lost track of time during all the crap going on with my family… I'm really sorry. Anyway, it won't happen again, because things have settled down and I'm optimistic that life isn't going to throw me any more curveballs. Hah. Yeah, I shouldn't have said that, should I?

And if you're here reading this… thanks for sticking around to still read it. I mean that. Thanks everyone also for the comments. Even the ones that scared me. No, I'm kidding. It's good to hear that sometimes, good kick in the rear about updating. Just sorry I didn't get to this sooner. Darn life. Though I'll be getting even busier in the future, I promise that I won't be neglecting this. I'll try to update more and put more effort into it.

I don't own FFX or FFX-2. Square/Soft/Enix does.

Slight warning, I haven't really read over this much, so there might be a few grammar errors and stuff, please forgive me if you spot any… I've been really busy and tired lately, and in no mood to re-read right this minute. Urgh.

One itty bitty thing I wanted to address, couple of comments about Tidus and how he's been a bit off or weird or too sad or irritable and such… and that may very well be, but part of it I'm writing intentionally… basically because… my argument is… well, it's been two years, and people change a bit, and he's been through a lot, and crazy stuff just keeps happening. That can really wear down a person. So it's both getting to Yuna and Tidus a bit, but despite that, they're holding together. That's one of the points in the story I'm trying to make… maybe sometimes I over do it or don't do it enough. I'm sorry. It's not a perfect story, it's just a story. A fanfic, at that… I'm just writing my own silly interpretation. I really enjoy doing it, that's why I keep writing it. So please forgive the faults, I'm sure there's a lot of things in the story people don't like… there's no such thing as a perfect story really, that can make everyone happy… just trying my own version. Anyway, don't mean to rant, and I'm not trying to sound rude or irritable. Just wanted to put in my two cents, because I get a few comments here and there and they make me think… but I don't change the story because of them. That's my reason why. Ah, I shouldn't rant when I'm this tired. Sorry.

ANYWAY, onto the freaking chapter, because you've waited too long for it already. Big huge apologies to everyone for the wait, even though I know that doesn't make it any better. Thank you all for waiting, and commenting. Sorry about this. Hope you enjoy it.

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CHAPTER 22

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Yuna woke up feeling as if she'd been asleep a thousand years. Somewhere in the back of her fog-filled mind, she could remember dreaming. But not of what, or if it had really been a dream. The harder she tried to place it, the more distant it became, until it seemingly vanished and the feeling she felt of uneasiness faded as quickly as it had come.

Deciding it was probably best she couldn't remember, she let it go completely and opened her eyes.

Bright sunlight was streaming through the cabin's windows down onto her face. Though it wasn't really very warm, the feeling made her smile and remember the sunlight of the peaceful mornings in Besaid. She missed waking up to those mornings. She missed the feeling of peace they brought.

Slowly she sat up, and turned to look out at the sunlight. It seemed the snowstorm had cleared overnight, for now the sky was spotless and a uncommon blue. She couldn't remember ever seeing a blue sky on the mountain before, not underneath the usual clouds anyway.

Yawning absently, Yuna slipped out of her bed and quietly reached for her clothing. She dressed as quietly as she could, not wanting to wake Rikku and Paine who slept in beds on either side of hers. The warrior was sleeping peacefully, while her cousin seemed to be having a dream. Rikku was muttering something faintly, in Al Bhed, and would occasionally wave an arm up in the air only to let it flop back down on the bed with a dark mutter.

Tip toeing past Rikku, Yuna made her way to the stairs and down to the cabin's bar. It was strange seeing the cabin so quiet, even the chocobo who had taken up residence, much to Barkeep's distaste, wasn't awake. It was sleeping peacefully, despite the fact Calli was draped over it's back, one arm hugging it's wing in her sleep. Yuna smiled a little, then moved on tip toe past, deciding that she would let Barkeep sleep and pass on breakfast. Even the Hypello seemed to be asleep.

_'Just how early is it?'_ Yuna wondered with a surprised blink as she passed her Uncle and Brother, who were both draped in chairs and snoring quite loudly. The sun must have just risen, or perhaps they really had worn themselves out from last night. Buddy however, was no where in sight.

_'Maybe he's up on deck already.'_ She thought, heading towards the lift. She didn't feel like sleeping anymore, or waking anyone. She'd just go to the deck and see if Buddy was awake. If not, she'd just enjoy the view and wait for everyone.

Stepping into the lift she covered her mouth with one hand as another yawn surfaced, and hit the lift's controls with her other hand. As the lift slowly came to life and began to rise, she leaned on the side and stretched.

_'I wonder where Tidus is?'_ He hadn't been in the cabin. Maybe he was up on deck too, with Buddy. Though that didn't seem quite right. She hadn't gotten the impression that he was an early riser.

As the lift rose slowly, she felt her mind come completely awake. With a sudden wave, the previous night came back to her in one big rush.

_'The Fayth… the temples… the spheres… I never thought I'd be this involved in all that again. But maybe, after this, it will be over for good…'_ She felt a sick little feeling in the pit of her stomach at that thought. _'What about Tidus? What about the Fayth and the dreams…?'_

Biting her lip she stood up away from the side of the lift and walked to the center. No, she wasn't going to start thinking about that. She'd find a way to stop it, if it came to that. She wasn't going to stand by and watch him disappear again, she'd fight through anything to stop that from happening. There would be a solution. Maybe it wouldn't even happen, anyway. Who knew? There was no point in worrying. Taking a deep breath, she stepped out of the lift and into the hall that led to the bridge.

Today was going to be a big day. She couldn't spend time worrying. They'd have to go to the temples, as many as they could in one day, and try to find the spheres… well, that was only if Shinra had managed to find them.

The door to the bridge opened and she was greeted by the sight of snow and rock from the windows. Sunlight was streaming into the airship, making everything look almost painfully bright. Blinking at the sudden glare, Yuna continued at a leisurely pace, down the stairs and onto the main deck.

Buddy was no where to be seen. In fact, the bridge seemed to be completely deserted. It was strange, and somewhat lonely, not to see Brother prancing around, directing orders, or Shinra at his computer typing away. She couldn't recall ever seeing it without anyone in it.

Taking another few steps, she walked up to Rikku's cockpit and turned to the left to look out at the view. Everything was covered in snow, except a few bare ledges of rock that had somehow avoided the storm. Despite the sun's bright effort however, clouds seemed to already be on the move.

Ignoring the coming darkness, she smiled at the sunlight and felt herself feel lighter inside. Stretching again in the sun she closed her eyes and allowed herself a moment of peace.

Beside her, someone snored lightly.

Almost jumping out of her skin, Yuna turned and looked down to see Tidus, sprawled in Rikku's seat, fast asleep. His arms were draped over the side of the seat and he looked, though oddly disarranged, quite comfortable and peaceful. As she watched, he continued to snore, completely oblivious to the sunlight shining down on his face. In the light, his hair truly turned golden, almost shining, against his skin that had been sun darkened who knew how long ago. She'd never seen anyone with skin quite like his, not even Wakka and the other blitzers.

Her thoughts were interrupted as he shifted an arm and yawned, his eyes flickering open for a fraction of a second. She grinned, and stayed in her place as she watched him slowly reopen his eyes.

"Yuna?" He asked, somewhat blearily, still partly asleep.

"Good morning, sleepy-head." Her voice was teasing, but genuinely cheerful. It seemed to wake him up a bit, as he opened his eyes wider and gave another slow yawn. Silently she watched him as he rearranged himself into a sitting position, blinking his blue eyes at the sunlight and scratching the back of his head.

"Uh… morning already?" He said finally, squinting a half glare in the direction of the sun. "But I just went to sleep…"

"Sorry." Nodding her head once in a sort of apology, she clasped her hands together behind her back and looked over to the sun. "It's nice today."

"Bright enough." Tidus muttered, rubbing at his eyes with his gloved hand, and yawning yet again. Without waiting for any kind of reply, he sat up straight and pulled himself out of the chair, coming to a soft landing beside Yuna. Stretching, he looked around the bridge.

"Where is everyone?"

"I think they're still asleep."

He raised an eyebrow. "Asleep?"

"Yeah." She grinned. "You were too, remember?"

"Hmph." He walked towards the middle of the bridge, stretching his arms and legs as he went. Yuna followed a few paces, going over to Shinra's terminal and sitting down on one of the chairs. Turning it to watch Tidus, she braced her chin on her hands and smiled. Tidus was going through what was probably a usual routine for him, or any blitzer's for that matter. Besides Wakka, she wasn't sure she'd ever seen someone do so much to ensure he stayed fit. Well, before Wakka got married, anyway…

"So today's the big day." He commented lightly, as he got down onto the floor and started doing a long chain of push ups.

"Big day? Oh, right." Yuna corrected herself in mid sentence, for a moment having been able to forget about anything but watching him. "Soon as Shinra contacts us, anyway." She sighed, leaning back in the chair and looking towards the terminal behind her. Though it was turned on, it made no sound. No one had sent a sphere transmission overnight.

"He'd better hurry up!" Tidus turned over and started on sit ups, staring up at the ceiling with a half grin on his face. "There's no way I'm spending the whole day cooped up in this airship! I want to go somewhere warm again."

"Me too." Yuna said quietly, looking back out to the windows. The clouds were quickly moving in, eating up the rays of the warm sunrise.

"Well well, I see some of you finally decided to wake up!" Yuna looked up to see Buddy entering the bridge, grinning in amusement.

"Morning, Buddy." Yuna smiled, and the Al Bhed smiled back, his eyes hidden by his goggles as always.

"Morning, Yuna. Sleep okay?"

"Yes, thank you."

"How about you?" Buddy paused to look down at Tidus, who was in the process of doing sit ups. In between one, Tidus paused and gave a sort of smirk.

"Could have used a pillow."

"Hah, that's what you get for sleeping up here." Buddy shook his head, moving away towards the main cockpit.

"Well I didn't actually do it on purpose." Tidus muttered, jumping up and dusting himself off.

"Ah, just as well. Wasn't much room in the Cabin, what with all the people we seem to be attracting lately. No beds left, and no chairs, for that matter." Buddy chuckled lightly, sliding into his seat and typing something into the computer.

Tidus walked over to Yuna and leaned on the terminal beside her. "How are you feeling?" He asked in a quiet tone, so only she could hear him.

Nodding slowly, Yuna looked up at him and gave a small smile. "Pretty good. No dreams."

"At all?" He raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

"None. I guess I really did manage to calm the Fayth down."

"Do you think it will last?"

Pausing, Yuna closed her eyes, then shook her head. "No."

He sighed, and looked away towards the terminal.

"Uh… what's that?"

Yuna frowned and turned to see where he was looking. "What's what?"

"That flashing light, it just came up."

Peering closer, Yuna nearly jumped out of her skin for the second time that day when a small hologram suddenly popped up of Shinra.

"Hello everyone." Came his usual quiet yet calculated voice. Yuna pulled back to better focus on the small figure standing on the terminal. The image was hardly perfect, it rather in fact looked like a sphere, blue, and full of static. But the sound was perfect, to the point where Yuna almost believed Shinra was standing right beside her.

"Hey Shinra." Tidus raised his hand as if in a wave, though looked as though he wasn't sure if that's what he was supposed to do or not. Shinra gave a little wave in return however, indicating that he could, by some means, see them too.

"Good morning, Shinra." Yuna replied finally, having recovered from her small shock. Behind her she could hear Buddy approaching.

"How goes the hunt?" He asked, bending over beside Yuna to peer down at the transmission.

"I've got good news, and I've got bad news." Shinra replied calmly.

"Oh great." Yuna groaned, closing her eyes.

"Good news first?" Tidus asked, and Yuna could hear him shift to move beside her.

"Well, I found the spheres you guys need. There's on in each temple, just like expected."

Yuna's eyes snapped open. "Really!" She hadn't expected it to be that easy.

"What's the bad news?" Buddy asked almost warily.

"The sphere finder couldn't pin point exactly where each sphere is. I can give you a general idea, but you'll have to hunt around yourself. They could even be hidden."

"Aw man!" Rikku shouted from behind them, making everyone, except Shinra, jump.

"When did you get up?" Tidus blinked, stepping away from her as she kicked the deck in frustration.

"I would have got up sooner if someone had bothered to tell me Shinra was on the line!" She snapped, crossing her arms.

Yuna sighed and looked back to Shinra. "But you're sure the spheres are there?"

"Yep." He nodded, then shrugged. "Each sphere is located somewhere in the middle of the temple. That's all I know, I'm sorry."

Rikku scowled. "If you know here they are more or less, why can't you just tell us exactly where they are? Your last sphere finder thingy did just fine!"

"These spheres have a weaker signal. My device can't pick them up as well."

"Can't you improve it?" Asked Tidus.

Shinra shrugged again. "I'm just a kid."

Rikku let out a frustrated groan as the transmission came to an end. After a few good-byes and another few thank you's, the transmission flickered out and Yuna turned in the chair to look at the others.

"Well, I guess we better get started." She stood up, seeing Brother and Paine enter the bridge at last.

"What's our plan?" Paine asked without hesitation, as if she'd heard the entire conversation already. Perhaps she had guessed.

Everyone looked to Yuna, who blinked in surprise. "Uh…" She swallowed, her mind racing. "Well, I guess we better do this as fast as we can. We'll split up?"

"Sounds good. Me and Rikku can take one temple, you two can take another. Everyone else can stay on the ship and pick us up once we're done." Paine nodded, smiling just a little.

"I guess the best choice would be to go to Besaid and Kilka first. We could normally ask Lulu and Wakka to find it, but they're in Luca right now. So someone will have to go to Besaid." Buddy was already heading towards his seat, mentally plotting out his course.

"We'll take Besaid!" Rikku chirped, bouncing up.

"Then we'll take Kilka." Yuna nodded, her hands falling to her sides absently.

Brother seemed to take this as his cue.

"Okay! Off we go! Buddy, full speed to Kilka!"

Grinning, Buddy punched in some commands and the airship began to slowly rise from it's bed on the mountain.

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Tidus stretched as he walked down the airship's boarding ramp, down to the docks of Kilka. It was nice to finally get some warm, fresh air, and some real sunlight on his skin. All that running around in caves and the airship had been making him feel a little agitated, not to mention claustrophobic. It was so nice to finally be able to see the water again, going off endlessly towards the horizon…

"Okay you guys, see you later! We'll pick you up as soon as we're done in Besaid!" Rikku called from behind him, waving as she started back up the lift. Yuna waved back, stepping off the ramp beside Tidus. No sooner had she gotten off, it began to rise and fold back into the airship's belly. Within a few moments, the airship had lifted up into the air and was racing off towards Besaid, a red blot against the sky.

"Wow, this place has changed." Tidus commented, as Yuna turned to look at him.

It wasn't like he had remembered at all. But then, he'd never seen it when it was built. They'd arrived just after Sin had destroyed most of it, and all that was left of the small town was a jumble of broken wood and broken lives. They hadn't even really started to rebuild the last time he'd seen it, on their way to confront Sin. People had still been simply trying to survive, to get a foot hold again and start anew.

They'd come far, in two years.

"Yeah. Once Sin was gone and nobody had to worry about preparing for it's return anymore, everyone's spirits rose. People came from all over Spira to help rebuild. Eventually the Youth League took over and gave the final push that's brought it to where it is now… and they're still working on it." Yuna began walking down the dock, past the boats and the various fishing gear set up along the wood.

"It's really nice." Tidus looked up to the tree like houses, decorated in vibrant cloth and carvings. He couldn't remember seeing anyplace that looked so beautiful. Even though it was still jarringly primitive to his eyes compared to Zanarkand, there was a strange peace about it. Just like Besaid, though it didn't have the same charm. But then, maybe he had a soft spot for Besaid, simply because it was where he'd appeared, and where he'd met Yuna.

"Everyone was kind of surprised it was rebuilt so fast. But I guess, knowing it wouldn't get knocked down again… made it seem really important." Yuna was talking softly, waving at the people they passed who recognized her and smiled. Despite the little conflicts Yuna had told him about, the people still seemed to have a high regard for Yuna. Not that it was a surprise, it wasn't likely that they would ever forget her. They'd be remembering her for probably the rest of Spira's history…

"Something wrong?" She asked, smiling at him. He shook his head in reply, and in doing so shook the thoughts free. It was weird, thinking about things like that. He'd never thought about it before back in Zanarkand, if he'd ever be remembered, or if anyone else ever would. There were no figures there, sure there were blitzers, but what were they in comparison to the Summoners…? Of course there had been a war going on, but nobody in Zanarkand heard much about it. It was mostly kept hushed over, people didn't want to think about war, they wanted to think about having fun.

Yuna had resumed her waving and her smiling, seemingly reassured by his silent reply. Tidus let out a low sigh and looked over at the people doing their various chores on the dock settled town. Everyone seemed so cheerful. So much more cheerful than they had been when Tidus had last seen them, or last seen Spira, for that matter.

"What's going on with the Youth League?" He asked suddenly, remembering Yuna's tale about the fuss in Kilka. If they were going to go to the temple, they'd have to deal with that… if it was still a problem.

Yuna paused, and looked over to him. "I'm… not really sure. Nooj and Baralai have been working things out I think, but some of the people around here might be set in their ideas still. New Yevon still controls the temple, but I think they have sort of a pact with the Youth League now. That's what Nooj and Baralai said, at least." She shrugged a little hopelessly. "I guess we'll just have to try leaving the village. The gate's probably still guarded."

"Yes, it is. Why wouldn't it be? New Yevon's still being pushy." The two of them stopped and looked to the landing above them to see who had spoken.

"Dona!" Yuna exclaimed, but Tidus couldn't tell if she was happy or somewhat upset.

"Don't stand there gawking, get up here and we'll have a little chat. I presume you're going to go cause trouble again, I'd like it if you told me what you're doing before you go do it." The Ex-Summoner sniffed, waving a strand of her hair out of her face.

Yuna silently obeyed, Tidus following after her. The Ex-Summoner was exactly as he remembered. Haughty, a bit arrogant, and quite icy. All too well he remembered his first encounter with her and her bumbling guardian. Staying beside Yuna, he decided he'd keep his mouth shut and let her handle Dona.

"Well?" Dona asked, cocking her head and sounding impatient. "What brings the High Summoner to our little village, again?"

Yuna briefly explained the situation, a very short version of the entire story. Dona knew half of it already, and seemed to guess correctly what people hadn't yet told her. By the time Yuna was finished, Dona seemed a little less irritated.

"I see. Well, I suppose that's a valid reason, then." She made a little sigh, and shook her head. "I'll go talk to the gate keepers. They'll let you through, as long as you promise not to go making a fuss of stealing and returning the sphere again."

Yuna's face went a slight shade of red, and she looked down to her feet.

"But we have to take it, for the other temple." Tidus interjected, and Dona snapped her head to his direction as if she'd only just seen him.

"Yes, of course I know that. That will be fine, Yuna can explain herself to the temple priests. They'll understand. Just as long as she doesn't try to go stealing it again."

Tidus frowned. "Hey! Don't keep saying that! She didn't steal it, she-"

"She didn't?" Dona raised an eyebrow. "You my dear, were not there. Don't go making assumptions of what she did and did not do. I saw the entire thing."

Yuna reached out and took Tidus's hand, squeezing it ever so slightly. "It's okay, really. I'm sorry for what happened, Dona. It won't happen again."

Dona shrugged, and mercifully said nothing more. Instead she strode away down the platform, heading towards the island itself.

The two of them followed in an uncomfortable silence. "Uh… I'm sorry, Yuna." Tidus said after a minute, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck and wondering if he should say anything at all.

"Oh, no it's alright. I understand, you were just trying to help." She smiled, a real smile, even if it was a small one. "Dona's just… well…" She trailed off, unsure of what to say.

He grinned a little. Yuna seemed completely incapable of saying anything bad about someone, even someone she didn't really like. It was kind of cute, he couldn't remember ever seeing anyone who was like that.

Yuna increased her pace until she was side by side with Dona. Tidus stayed a few steps behind, still looking around at the village as they passed by it.

"So, how have things been here?" Yuna said after a few moments of silence.

"The usual, though perhaps a little less heated." The Ex Summoner waved her hand towards the various people going about their daily business. "As you can see, everyone is moving along with their lives. That little fuss with New Yevon and the Youth League wasn't enough to stop that. But New Yevon is still being pushy, and though they're letting villagers in, they don't like the fact of the Youth League going to the temple. We've been trying to sort it out, but they're simply being pig headed. Nooj said he would speak to Baralai about it, but I doubt he will anytime soon. There are more pressing concerns, apparently, that are demanding his attention." She sounded slightly bitter, as if she didn't think Nooj was doing a very good job, or that he had been wrong to back down at all. But then, she always seemed to sound bitter, Tidus reasoned, watching her wave her hands to seemingly stress her words.

"But there's been no fighting?" Yuna asked, tilting her head. She looked a little worried, but Dona didn't seem to notice.

"Fighting? No, there hasn't been. Sometimes a young hot head will come up with some crazy plan to kick New Yevon out of the temple, but it never goes anywhere. The villagers seem fed up with the conflict."

This seemed to satisfy Yuna, who fell silent. Dona didn't say anything more, she didn't seem to want to. It was almost as if she didn't like talking to people, at the same time she liked to go on about her opinions.

They arrived at the gate without interruption. As Dona went up to the guard, Yuna and Tidus stayed behind.

"Well, we're making good time." Tidus commented at a lack of anything else to say. Yuna nodded once.

"Kilka's temple isn't very big. We should be able to find the sphere quickly. Then we just have to wait for Rikku and Paine."

Tidus looked over to the gate, Dona seemed to be having a sort of argument with the guard, but looked as though she were winning. The guard looked somewhat frightened of her and was backing away.

"I wonder if they're at Besaid yet." Tidus away from the gate and up to the sky, squinting as the rising sun glared at him. The sky was a perfect blue, completely spotless. It looked almost as if he were looking at water, and not the sky at all.

"Probably. The airship's pretty fast." Yuna too looked up to the sky, but only for a moment. Dona was on her way back towards them, a smug sort of grin on her face.

"You're allowed through, thanks to me."

"Thank you, Dona." Yuna gave a quick half bow, and Dona snorted.

"Well, let's go then. I don't want to stand around here all day."

Tidus blinked. "You're coming too?"

Dona shot him a look that wasn't very pleasant. "Of course. I'm a member of the Youth League, in fact one of the few that kept things together here when everything was a mess. I have to go along to make sure you don't take any more spheres than you need. And that New Yevon keeps stays in it's place." She paused, then with a sort of grimace, added rather uncomfortably, "Barthello is up there anyway. I have to… talk to him about… supper."

Yuna's face flickered ever so slightly, but she seemed to be able to keep herself from grinning. Tidus didn't have as much luck.

Dona scowled, and spun on her heel.

"Oops." Tidus grinned, unable to contain it. Beside him, Yuna was keeping a straight and solemn face, but he could see a shred of amusement sparkle in her eyes.

"Hurry up. I don't have time to wait around for two celebrities who think the whole world can go on hold for them." Dona snapped a moment later, not even looking back to see if she was being followed.

Tidus opened his mouth to say something, anything, in reply, but Yuna stopped him by putting her hand on his. She shook her head silently, with a half weary look on her face. Dona was just looking for an argument, Yuna was right. Swallowing it with some difficulty, Tidus sighed and stared off towards the jungle they were fast approaching.

As Yuna and Tidus fell into step beside Dona, Tidus could almost feel the Ex Summoner's cold manner radiating from her. She wasn't making eye contact with either of them, and her face was set in a scowl.

_'Yeah, go ahead and be upset.'_ Tidus muttered to himself, recalling his first meeting with the woman and her strange sense of humor. Granted things had worked out for the best, but it'd still been a problem for him at the time. He hadn't known anything about Spira, and then she and her hulk of a guardian had decided to go around getting him into more trouble than he'd already got himself into. He knew it wasn't really a good thing to hold grudges, and it was true, Dona had ended up redeeming herself somewhat over the time he'd been there…. But now she seemed to have reverted to her old self.

"Dona, did the Youth League take down all the gates?" Yuna asked suddenly, as if trying to erase what had happened from everyone's minds.

"Yes. We decided they were un-needed after New Yevon made the pact. Though New Yevon is being a bit testy, they haven't yet broken any of the agreements. One of our sides of the bargain was to take the gates down. So they're down." She shrugged. "It's not like they did any good anyway. It wasn't long before people started finding ways through the jungle."

"Like the tree branches." Yuna murmured, and Dona nodded absently.

Now they were in the shade of the jungle, and Tidus felt a wave of relief flow over him. He hadn't realized how hot it'd been getting out in the sun, not that the sun bothered him. It was just a little uncomfortable. Maybe he wasn't as used to it, after all, it'd been a while since he'd been out in the sun for a long period of time. The jungle's shade was refreshing, though humid. Since it was still morning, the humidity hadn't gotten too bad yet, but Tidus remembered all too well what it'd been like the first time he'd been. And the bugs…

The walk through the jungle was uneventful. Occasionally they passed by a Youth League guard, or a New Yevon priest. But no one stopped them or questioned them, everyone seemed caught up in their own business and duties. A few of the priests bowed to Yuna on the way by, and a guards nodded to Dona, but that was the end of pleasantries.

Walking around the final bend, Tidus finally spotted the somewhat familiar stone stairs leading up the mountain, to the temple. Yuna looked a little relieved to see them, as if she were almost at home.

"Do you remember," Yuna started, as they started up the stairs, "Wakka and the others that day? How they wanted to race up the mountain?" She was smiling, and her eyes were distant as if she was in that day, and not in the present.

"Yeah, I would have won too, if it hadn't been for that darn Sin Spawn." Tidus grinned, punching the air dramatically. Dona snorted something, but she was too far ahead for Tidus to make out what it was.

"Yes… The Sin Spawn." Yuna's eyes focused again and suddenly she was beside him, not far away two years ago. "Sometimes I forget about those."

Tidus blinked as they stepped into the sunlight, inwardly surprised how fast the climb had gone. They were nearly there, and it seemed as if they'd only been walking a few moments.

"Are there still any around?" He inquired, suddenly curious at the thought.

Yuna didn't answer right away, instead she stopped and Tidus found them over looking the same landing that the Sin Spawn had appeared. All the stones were fixed now, of course, there wasn't a trace of it left. But why would there be, he mentally slapped himself, that was two years ago after all.

"No, they disappeared with Sin." She replied finally, looking back to where they'd come. Tidus was turning to look at the view with her, when Dona coughed loudly a little ways ahead.

"Would you please stop lagging behind? I really do have better things to do today than play tour guide."

"Nobody asked you to come!" Tidus snapped, unable to catch himself.

Dona scowled. "I already told you why I'm here. I'm not going to repeat myself. Yuna, come along."

"Coming, Dona." Yuna's voice was perfectly calm and neutral, Tidus was amazed at how well she could ignore Dona's commanding tones. But then maybe Yuna was so used to being ordered around, even now, she still didn't question it.

The last few flights of stairs to the temple were completely uneventful. Tidus kept his thoughts to himself as to not irritate Dona. One day he'd make sure him and Yuna came back, then they could talk and take their time, without having to worry about upsetting the ice queen.

"Here at last." Dona sighed, sounding quite unimpressed as they came to a halt in the temple courtyard. It was hard to believe she'd actually been a Summoner once.

"Thank you, Dona." Yuna gave a little bow again, but Dona waved her hand in the middle of it.

"No no, don't think you're getting rid of me that easy. I'm coming along with you into the temple too."

"Oh great." Tidus muttered.

"Well, lead the way then." Yuna let out a slight sigh, but kept a half smile on her face.

Dona was taking a step forward when a piercing cry broke the calm air and sent all the birds in the nearby tries scattering.

"DONAAA!" Came the wailing bellow, and Tidus was sure he could feel his eardrums vibrate.

"Ah, Barthello." Dona said, sounding not at all pleased to see the large hulk of a man bounding towards her from one of the temple outer chambers.

"Dona, I've missed you!" The man bent over and all but got down on his knees in front of her. The grin that was plastered on his face, though while no doubt sincere, looked like some horrific parody of a smile. Tidus swallowed carefully and looked at Yuna, who seemed to think the scene was sweet.

"Yes yes, Barthello, I missed you too." Dona muttered, waving her hands to make him get up. "Now get out of my way, we're going into the temple."

"The temple? What for?" Barthello looked from Dona, to Tidus, to Yuna, then back to Dona.

"For spheres." Dona sighed loudly, looking quite tired suddenly.

"Oh. I'll help! We've been looking all over the temple."

"We?" Dona echoed, staring at Barthello as if he was perhaps mad. Tidus couldn't help but feel sorry for Barthello, and wonder how in Spira he'd ever got attached to Dona in the first place. She certainly didn't seem to share the same feelings he had to any great extent. Or maybe she did, but just hid it. Despite how much Tidus disliked the woman, he couldn't help but think, she couldn't be completely bad, not if Barthello was so attached to her.

"Yeah." Barthello nodded excitedly. "We've been exploring the temple, now that the fiends are gone. We found some secret passages."

Yuna's face perked up and she took a step forward. "Really? Did you find any spheres?"

Barthello's gaze went from Dona's face, to Yuna. The smile left his face and was replaced by an apologetic and sad one. "No, no spheres."

Yuna sighed, but shrugged it off. "Well, if you've found some secret passages, there's probably more. We'll find the sphere!"

Barthello's smile returned, and he looked back to Dona. "Yes!" He seemed uncertain though, as if it was the right thing to say. Dona hadn't said anything yet, and he seemed to be waiting for her approval.

"Yes, that will be fine, Barthello. You can help us look. We could probably use the strength." She said finally, nodding once.

This seemed to please him, as he began to grin wildly again and backed a few paces away. "You first, Dona!"

"Thank you." The Ex Summoner replied rather dryly, walking past him into the temple. Yuna followed quickly after, and Tidus and Barthello brought up the rear.

The two exchanged glances for a moment, but Barthello didn't seem to recognize him. Perhaps it was for the best, Tidus thought, so he could just leave that whole incident behind him…

Walking after Dona and Yuna, Tidus walked down the first flight of stairs that led into the temple of Kilka. He couldn't help but have a slight sense of dread. Was this going to be another long winded run around in a dark maze? He didn't even want to imagine.

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Author's Note:

Ahh! Okay, that wasn't the BEST chapter for action or romance or anything, but it's something I wanted to write anyway. I never wanted to make this story just action and romance, I wanted to keep the FFX feel. You know, all that character interaction and such. And I really wanted to stick those two (Dona and Barthello) in somewhere, I mean, they're part of the FFX world after all. Anyway, I promise the next chapter will be a little bit more exciting, and probably a lot less long winded than you might dread. Aka, don't worry, I'm not going to repeat what I've done with the last couple temples. I'm sure that may be getting a bit old by now. Ah! I go sleep now. 24 straight hours of being awake and only 3 hours of sleep – not fun. But it's updated. I update in either a week from today or two weeks. Probably a little less than two weeks. That's a promise. Yep.


	24. Chapter 23 Fading Pain

Two excuses. Neither of them really valid, nor things you want to hear, but I figure I owe you at least an explanation.

One. I was in a huge rut of writers block. I couldn't write FFX stuff for the life of me. Second. When I finally did feel in the mood, I sat down, wrote about half the chapter, went to bed, and woke up with the nastiest cold I've had in years. I was pretty much bed ridden for a half week and the reason why I didn't try to keep writing while I was sick… was.. pathetic excuse, but, when I get sick, my mind goes out the bloody window. A thought I had a minute ago disappears and is replaced by a sort of delirious sickness induced confusion by the next. It's not much fun. I would have written if I could have, but… yeah. Alright. So here it is, finally. I'm sorry. The next update should come soon, I have the chapter already started. Yay me.

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If this chapter seems to change at all half way through, that'll be because of the before-sick after-sick thing, I might have started paying a little less attention to detail or something… I don't know. Probably not noticeable, I'm just a worry-wort and a perfectionist. If it is glaringly painful, I will edit.

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Again thank you for the comments (even the ones telling me to update, it's good to know people really want to read the next chapter that badly) and keep them coming…

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In reply to comment… about how the perfect ending will have a new meaning now when I come to the end of this fic. And… you're absolutely right. And I had never intended that. In fact, I had never intended this fic to be more than… three… four chapters? I don't know. It just formed it's own story and went off. So… it might be a little weird. But I'm hoping it will work, what with the way I have the plot ending…

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As usual FFX and FFX-2 don't belong to me, never did, and probably never will. Unless I get super rich and buy Square Enix. Haha. Yeah, right. That'll be the day.

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Next chapter, up soon. Yes, you've heard that a thousand times before, but… It's not like I'll get sick again this week. I hope.

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**-Chapter 23-**

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"Okay, I think I've just about had it with these two." Tidus sighed, leaning against the wall where Yuna was inspecting a set of glyphs.

"What did they do this time?" She asked, not looking up, dimly aware of the sound of Dona and Barthello talking loudly to each other. It sounded as if Dona were angry about something, and as if Barthello were on the verge of tears. Yuna was suddenly unsure if she really wanted to know.

"You know, it happened so fast, it was kind of a blur. I think Barthello said something that ole ice queen didn't agree with and-"

"Tidus, don't call her that…" Yuna sighed, standing up. "That's not polite. She might be a bit… confrontational, but she is a good person. She did help all of us, even if she… well…" Words failed her, and she spread her hands a little, at a loss. Tidus seemed to catch her meaning though, and let out a deep sigh.

Biting his lip, Tidus leaned into the wall with all his weight. "Yeah, yeah… alright. I guess she hasn't been all that bad, but Yuna, listen to her…"

The two of them paused, and sure enough, the ex-summoner's voice rang through the halls with uncanny timing.

"Barthello, if you don't put that down this instant, I'll never speak to you again!"

Yuna sighed, shook her head, and turned away from the hallway.

"You see?" Tidus followed her as she began to walk down the hall, towards the end of the chamber. "She's completely unreasonable!"

"You're just mad because of what happened." Yuna grinned a little, amused by the memory even though she knew it probably wasn't very polite of her.

"Oh sure! Take her side!" He threw his arms in the air and looked completely exasperated, though there was a slight smirk on his face.

"Let's just keep looking for the sphere, and get out of here. Then we can go meet with the others."

"We've been over this hall a thousand times." Tidus muttered, idly brushing his hand against the stone hall. "And by the sounds of it, Dona hasn't found anything either."

Yuna stopped, and put her hand to her chin. "It should be around here. This is the only logical place it could be."

"By what logic?" He leaned against the wall again and closed his eyes. "You know, I'm getting kind of tired of this temple stuff, I mean, why couldn't they make anything simple? Why does everything have to be a maze or a puzzle?"

"If it wasn't, someone would have stolen it." Yuna shrugged, looking up at the ceiling at an utter loss of anywhere else to look.

"Oh, yeah. Like someone would come into a temple and steal a hunk of glowing r-OOOOCK!" Tidus suddenly flailed wildly and fell backwards, as the wall behind him disappeared into the ceiling. Completely unbalanced he fell flat on his back, with a loud 'oof' sound and a shout of something Yuna was positive wasn't considered polite.

"Are you okay?" She asked, rushing over to him and helping him up.

With a groan, Tidus supported himself against the wall with one arm, and with the other, rubbed his back. "Uh, no, but I'll live."

"Anything broken?" She put a hand on his arm, genuinely worried. The rock wasn't exactly a soft landing, and he hadn't been prepared for the fall.

Tidus straightened his back, and carefully rotated his shoulders. After a minute of this, he relaxed and grinned. "Nope!"

"Thank goodness." Yuna sighed, then peered behind him. "What happened?"

"I don't know, the wall just disappeared away." Tidus continued to massage his back, and Yuna got the impression he wasn't really paying attention.

"Did you touch anything?" Taking a few steps into the new passage, she found that it was dimly lit with a eerie fire glow, that didn't seem to come from anywhere in particular.

"Uh… don't think so." She heard him turn around behind her, and walk after her. "It happened kinda fast. One minute it was there…" He waved his hand, "Then it was gone."

"Hm." This time, Yuna wasn't paying much attention to him. Instead she was peering down the passage that made a sharp turn a few feet ahead of her. "I think you may have found what we're looking for." She turned and grinned at him. "Even if you weren't even trying."

"Hey! I was too!" Tidus gave a half pout, crossing his arms. "I was just… resting, that's all."  
"What's going on?" Dona stepped up beside Tidus and peered past Yuna. "What did you find?"

"I'm not sure, but I think this may be where the sphere is." Yuna nodded her head towards the passage.

"Hmph. Well don't just stand there, let's see if it is or not. Barthello, you stay here and make sure the passage doesn't close."

"Yes, Dona." Barthello answered quietly behind her, looking a little sad at being left behind, but proud to be doing something useful.

Before Dona could sweep forward, Yuna started down the passage, closely followed by who she was sure was Tidus. Dona couldn't possibly walk that loudly.

Turning the corner, Yuna was confronted with the same thing she'd just seen. A length of passage, then another sharp corner. She frowned, but didn't stop walking.

"How did you find this?" Dona asked, after a few minutes had passed and they'd taken what seemed like a dozen corners.

There was a slight paused, and Yuna turned slightly to look at Tidus. Dona couldn't see him, but he was grinning as if he wanted to say something that wasn't at all true. Though she knew better, Yuna gave him a little smile then put her attention back at the passage.

"Well, it's like this… Yuna was looking down in the chamber, and I was inspecting the wall. And then Yuna came over and noticed this funny looking glyph, and so I put my hand on it, and the wall opened up." He sounded pleased with himself, as if he was hoping to irritate Dona.

"I see." Dona said, considering this, then after a moment, spoke again. "Why didn't I see the glyph when I walked down that corridor?"

There was a dreadfully awkward silence in the passage as Tidus scrambled for an answer.

"I, uh, I had to cast fire on it, to make it show up." Yuna cut in quickly, glad Dona couldn't see her face. As soon as the words had left her mouth she regretted them. What was she thinking? Had she lost her mind? Where had that come from?

Another pause.

"You were casting fire on the walls?" Dona sounded completely unconvinced.

"Uh, yeah!" Tidus chirped, and Yuna could practically hear him groan.

As they turned another corner, a chamber came into view. Yuna felt a flood of relief for very different reasons.

"Hey, is that the sphere?" Tidus said quickly, probably a little too quickly.

Dona swept past him and stepped into pace with Yuna, who was already on her way towards the pedestal holding a fire red object.

"I think so." She heard herself say, just as quickly, a edge of excitement in her voice. This was wonderful, it was right here. They didn't have to run around through the temple anymore… another step closer to ending this whole ordeal.

Reaching carefully forward, she plucked the sphere free of it's place, and brought it closer to look at it. It seemed like just any Kilka sphere, except, on closer inspection, there seemed to be a strange glyph inside of it. It was a darker red than the rest of the crystal, but even then, it was difficult to see at first glance. It wasn't like any Kilka sphere she'd ever seen before, and it felt… out of place.

"Yes, this is it." Yuna nodded, holding the sphere tightly in her hand. It was slightly warm, as if there was a dim fire burning inside of it somewhere. "I'm sure of it."

Dona raised an eyebrow and glanced at it, then shrugged. "Well, I suppose I'll take your word on that. It seems like a regular Kilka sphere to me, but… it was hidden, after all. Perhaps it is different."

"So we can go now?" Tidus looked from Dona, to Yuna.

"Well, we got what we came for." Yuna grinned, placing the sphere carefully in the pouch on her belt. "Let's go outside, it's kind of stuffy in here."

Dona turned without speaking a word and headed to where they had come. Tidus lingered a moment behind Yuna, but finally walked after her, shaking his head.

"Nothing happened."

"What?" She looked at him with a slight frown. "What do you mean?"

He looked around the chamber as they left it, looking a little uneasy. "I don't know. It's just… in all the other temples, something always happened when we found something important. I mean… shouldn't a big giant fiend jump out at is now or something?"

"Well, nothing happened." Yuna blinked, tilting her head.

"Yeah, that's what I said." Tidus frowned, still looking uneasy. "And that seems wrong."

"Well…" Yuna paused, turning one of the corners, just in time to see Dona turn a corner ahead of them. "Maybe Kilka is empty of things like that now. It has had a lot of traffic…"

"I guess." Tidus seemed to agree, but there was a hesitating touch in his voice. He didn't seem to feel it was a good enough answer, but didn't say anymore about it.

"Don't worry, if something does happen, it's nothing we can't handle, right?" Yuna placed her hand on his shoulder, grinning. Finding the sphere had raised her spirits higher than she had expected.

"Right." That seemed to bring out the Tidus she knew, and he gave her a smirk. He took a step closer over to her path and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, looking quite pleased with himself all of a sudden, though Yuna wasn't exactly sure why.

They continued the small walk in silence, and Yuna was almost glad for it. It was nice to just be able to feel him, not to have to think or talk or worry. She'd missed him so much, she'd never thought she'd be doing things like this, together with him. It'd been in her dreams, but… she still could hardly believe he was next to her. Everything had happened so fast, so unexpectedly. Who would have ever guessed things would have turned out this way? Everyone had been certain he was gone forever when he'd disappeared… that day. She cringed a little at the thought. But she'd never believed that. Even though she'd told herself he was gone and she'd never see him again, there was that hope that had never died, that she might be able to walk with him like this. 'Maybe…' She thought to herself, 'That hope is what brought him back. Maybe the Fayth…'

"Dona!" Barthello called, as they turned the last corner and saw the hulk of a man looming in the passage doorway. "Are you alright?"

Dona pushed past him with a fluid grace, heading directly towards the temple entrance. "Why wouldn't I be, Barthello?" She sighed, though her voice sounded somewhat happy, Yuna thought. Happy to be back with him, even if she didn't want to admit it. Yuna smiled, watching Barthello trail after the ex-summoner with a large, contented smile on his face.

"Wow." Tidus said finally, breaking their silence as the two of them stepped out into the sunlight behind Dona and Barthello. "Nothing happened." He broke into a huge grin, stretching his arms behind his back. "You know I was sure something was going to."

"I told you not to worry." Yuna smiled, looking up at the cloudless sky.

"Well, it's barely even noon." Dona said quietly, a little ways away. She'd stopped in the center of the temple grounds, staring up at the sky with a look of disbelief on her face. "I thought it was nearly dusk. It feels like we spent all day in that stuffy dark catacomb." She turned around slowly, to face Yuna.

"So, is that it?" She nodded to the pouch at Yuna's side.

Yuna patted it, and smiled. "Yes, that's it."

Dona nodded slowly, and began to turn away, but stopped. As if she were unused to it, she turned her head back to look at Yuna and gave a sort of half smile. It was the first one Yuna could remember seeing on her face that looked like she really meant it.

"Good luck, Yuna. With the Fayth, and whatever else lies in that chamber. Though… we do not share the same views or experiences, know that… as a fellow summoner I wish you… a safe end to your mission."

The smile was quickly gone from Dona's face though, as if she had rethought her words, but she didn't say anything more towards her. Turning her head towards Tidus, she gave something that sounded like a snort.

"You, hot-shot blitzer… don't go causing anymore trouble."

"Me? What did I do?" Tidus blinked, as Dona turned away and walked off, towards the stairs leading down to the village. Tidus stood somewhat confused as Barthello quickly walked after her, still smiling contentedly.

"What was that all about?" Tidus sighed, after they were out of sight, leaving the temple grounds clear of anyone. Even the temple priests weren't in sight. Everyone was probably off eating, out of the heat of the sun, Yuna thought as she walked softly to the center of the grounds.

"She means well." Yuna said to the air, perhaps more to herself than really to Tidus. She heard him sigh but he didn't really seem that upset. In fact, he sounded just as happy as she was.

"So not only did we find the sphere… but we found it quickly? This is turning out to be a great day." He grinned, striding around in a circle around the grounds. "So what do we do now?"

Yuna considered this, watching him as he walked. "Well… I don't know. I guess we just wait for the others to come pick us up."

"So we get some time to ourselves finally?" He stopped, and she could see a grin in his eyes.

Yuna blinked, felt suddenly a little nervous despite any thoughts in her mind that told her otherwise, and turned away. "Well, maybe, we should call them. They might be done already."

Tidus groaned, loudly, and for a moment Yuna was worried he was hurt. Spinning around she found him with one hand over his eyes, looking somewhat distraught.

"Yunaaa! Don't tell me you want to go back already?"

She blinked, and brought her hands together absently. "Well… We need to get back to the Hidden Temple, soon…"

"Well they're not here to pick us up! So let's have some fun while we wait!"

"Fun?" Yuna echoed, unable to think of anything that could be considered fun, in Kilka, to Tidus.

"Yeah! I don't know, let's go… get something to eat?" He seemed to be at a loss of ideas himself, as he sounded half hearted with his question.

"Okay." Yuna shrugged, heading towards the stairs. It felt awkward somehow, that they were suddenly alone, and had free time among themselves. It had been so rare since he'd gotten back… she felt giddy and nervous at the same time.

She heard him sprint after her, and turned just in time to see him stop beside her, grabbing her hand with a grin and starting off down the stairs at a break neck pace.

"Hey!" She cried, a little startled, as she just about lost her balance. "What's the rush?" She managed a moment later, once they'd reached the lower plaza, just above the forest path.

"Race you to the forest?" Tidus was grinning, in a way she hadn't seen him grin in a while. He seemed just as giddy as she felt.

"Okay!" She started before she spoke, and she heard him shout in protest behind her. Laughing she kept running as fast as she could, skipping down the stairs as fast as she dared for a slight fear of falling and breaking something.

Just as she neared the forest however, she saw him leap into view from the corner of her eye, right beside her. Though it was such a childish game, she'd never really done anything like it before, and couldn't help but feel the urge to want to win. She increased her speed and made it to the forest, leaping off the stairs and onto the dirt path just seconds before Tidus. Stumbling to a halt she managed to stop short of falling on her face, and turned just in time to see Tidus crash into a nearby bush.

Her laughter stopped as she felt a pang of worry. "Tidus?" She called, walking the best she could over to where he'd gone in, her legs shaking from the hectic sprint. "Are you okay?" She peered into where he had fallen, and was surprised to see him no where in sight. "Tidus…?" She repeated, frowning.

"Gotcha!" He grabbed her from behind and lifted her up, and in spite of herself she let out a light yell.

"What are you doing!" She cried, not so much in protest but in utter bewilderment as he held her in his arms.

"Uh… It seemed like a good idea at the time?" He was grinning, and didn't seem to want to put her down any time soon.

"You scared me!" She frowned, and she would have put her hands on her hips for effect had she been able.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't know a High Summoner was so easily scared." His face tried to look severe, but his voice had hints of laughter.

"I didn't mean that!" She sighed, pretending to sound agitated. "I meant, when you fell in the bush, I thought you were hurt."

"Hey, I meant to do that." Tidus frowned.

"Oh sure." Yuna giggled, shaking her head. "Now put me down."  
He made a long, loud sigh, as if he were deeply upset about her demands, then gently placed her on her feet.

"Thank you." She smiled, taking a step back and feeling just a little bit more nervous. This was so much different than before, when there had always been others around. It was different… but she liked it.

They walked together at a leisurely pace, passing through the woods and to Kilka village. Along the way they chatted about various things, from silly things to the last time they'd been in Kilka together. But they never branched into anything that was serious, or in any way painful to remember. Though neither spoke of avoiding it, they both seemed to want to. Instead they laughed together and Yuna found herself feeling better than she ever had in her life.

After perhaps a hour's walk, they finally arrived at Kilka, after going though a few 'short cuts' Tidus had decided on through the woods. Of course they hadn't been short cuts, and they'd ended up walking through bush for most of the time, Yuna couldn't think of anywhere else she'd rather be.

"So, where to now?" Tidus stopped in front of the village, stretching and looking quite satisfied with the world on whole.

"I don't know, I haven't been here very often. I guess we should just walk around and see."

"Sounds good." Tidus started off, dragging her with him, though she was far from reluctant.

It didn't take them long to spot something that looked promising. A shopkeeper was sitting behind a shaded table, a table which was covered in every fruit Yuna had ever seen, and some she hadn't. Not feeling particularly hungry, nor much in the mood for anything else, she pointed it out to Tidus.

"Great! We never got many fruits in Zanarkand. Climate wasn't right, everything we got was imported, and you wouldn't believe the cost." He grimaced, as Yuna smiled at the shopkeeper and looked over the fruits.

"So the hot shot blitzer couldn't afford food?" Yuna grinned, picking out a few fruits as Tidus made a face.

"Ah! Don't call me that, I'm getting the feeling it's not a good term anymore."

"Oh, it was once?" Yuna paid for the fruits with gil from her pouch, and handed Tidus a few of the fruits. She was grinning, though trying to sound perfectly serious.

"Yeah! That was a good term in Zanarkand, all the girls used to…" He suddenly trailed off, as Yuna raised an eyebrow at him.

"Girls?"

"Uhh…" Tidus considered this for a moment, taking a bite of the fruit he was holding and looking slightly embarrassed. "Most of the girls liked Blitzers in Zanarkand."

"I see." Yuna said, blinking, completely unsure of how to answer. It wasn't something she'd ever thought about. And wasn't sure she wanted to think about it.

Tidus paused, looking at her. Then his face changed and he seemed to consider what he'd said.

"Uh, forget it, okay? I'm sorry, Yuna." Tidus sounded out of place and more embarrassed than she'd ever heard him.

"It's okay." Yuna nodded slowly. She wasn't really upset by what he had said, it had merely provoked thought. She could understand why he had attracted attention. Why, she herself was starting to. Not only was she a High Summoner, but her recent concerts hadn't helped her much. More and more people were stopping to speak to her, and though most of them were simply thanking her for Sin, there were a few here and there that were… somewhat frightening.

"Yuna, are you okay?" They sat down on the edge of the docks, overlooking the ocean that spanned between Kilka and Besaid. Tidus was looking slightly concerned.

"Oh, yes." She smiled, carefully taking a bite of a fruit she held in her hand. "I was just thinking, that's all."

"Okay." Tidus nodded slowly, and seemed to take her response as a sign to drop that topic. Which was probably for the best, Yuna was starting to feel slightly uncomfortable about it.

"Do you like being back?" Yuna asked suddenly, an impulsive thought that suddenly came to her. Even as the words left her mouth she was wondering why she said it.

Tidus stopped in mid bite, looking over to her with a look of confusion on his face. "Do I…?" He swallowed. "Of course!" He smiled, not his usual carefree grin, but a smile nonetheless. "It's great. I missed being here. I missed… being with you. Don't worry about me. I don't want to go back to Zanarkand."

She tilted her head and looked at him, thinking about it all.

"I know now, what was going on. It's…" He sighed, as if fighting for the right words. "It's the past. I've come a long way, I think. This is my home now."

Yuna slowly took another bite, and they sat in silence for a long moment. Nothing felt as though it needed saying, after all, they'd spoken of things before.

Taking the last bite of the fruit he was holding, Tidus threw the core into the water and scooted over beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and hugging her sideways. She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes and ignoring the fact people could probably see. What did it matter, what the people thought about the High Summoner, and what she was doing. It wasn't any of their business, and she was happy.

"Love you." He said quietly, kissing her forehead. She smiled at him, still with her eyes closed, and snuggled closer to him.

"Yuna?"

She blinked her eyes open, looking around. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Tidus seemed to snap out of a sort of daze, and looked around as well. "I didn't hear anything."

"I heard someone call…"

"Yuna!" This time it was louder, and … filled with static.

"Oh!" Yuna cried, suddenly realizing, and she reached into her belt pouch to pull out her comm sphere.

Paine was standing in a small projection, looking a little cross. The first thing Yuna noticed was the fact her hair was full of feathers.

"Paine?" Yuna blinked, turning up the volume on the sphere.

"Yuna, finally. I've been trying to reach you for the last hour." Paine was outright frowning, not even trying to give a blank face. But somehow Yuna sensed she wasn't angry at her.

"What's going on?" Tidus asked, peering down at the comm sphere Yuna placed in her lap.

"What's going on?" Paine echoed, and Yuna could almost swear she heard a slight snap in the woman's normally calm voice. "I'll tell you what's going on. Rikku."

"Oh." Yuna sighed, somehow she had expected that. "What happened?"

Paine let out a very long sigh. "We went to the temple, and we looked for the sphere. We must have spent about three hours, but we couldn't find anything. Finally the priests kicked us out, saying something about how we were wrecking the temple of the High Summoner."

"Oh dear." Yuna tried not to smile.

Paine continued, reaching up to pick a feather out of her hair. "So Rikku gets this idea to scan for the sphere using one of Shinra's little devices."

"How'd she get that?" Tidus interjected.

Paine shot him a look. "I don't know. She probably stole it. She's a thief, after all." Paine didn't sound very happy with Rikku at all. Yuna was starting to dread hearing the story.

"Anyway, so we go off looking around Besaid. Rikku gets a signal on the device, and runs off up this hill shouting. Then I don't hear from her. So I have to go up this hill. When I get to the top, there I see, Rikku. Standing in this huge nest, fishing around in a collection of feathers and sticks."

"A nest?"

"Please, if I may finish." Paine looked as though she were grinding her teeth. "Rikku is convinced the sphere is in the nest. I decide to stand watch. To make a long story short, Yuna, the fiend came home, and Rikku got the bright idea to climb on it's back to distract it while I got the sphere."

"And?" Yuna didn't really want to hear the rest of it at all.

"I got the sphere. And the fiend took off with Rikku."

There was a moment of silence while Yuna tried to take all of this in.

"Why didn't you just kill the fiend?" Tidus asked, taking advantage of the pause.

Paine looked quite annoyed at that question. "That was my suggestion, but Rikku demanded we couldn't kill it, because of the eggs."

"Oh dear." Yuna sighed again.

"So why did you call us?" Tidus cut in before Paine could start again.

"Because I thought I should warn you, we might be late picking you two up. The fiend is still flying around with Rikku attached to it, and she still won't let us kill the damn thing."

"Is she alright?"  
"Yeah, she's fine. But I can't promise she'll be fine when she gets down here." Paine crossed her arms, and looked even more agitated than she had before.

There was an awkward pause of silence, before Tidus cleared his throat and waved at the sphere.

"Well, thanks for telling us. We're doing fine here, take your time." Tidus was grinning, and Paine seemed as if she wanted to say something in reply to that, but all of a sudden there was a great shriek in the background of the comm sphere, accompanied by a fiend's screech, and something in Al Bhed Yuna couldn't catch.

"I have to go." Paine growled, and before anyone could say another word, shut the sphere off.

"Well… That was interesting." Tidus commented, as Yuna placed the sphere back into her pouch.

"I hope Rikku's okay." Frowning, Yuna placed her hands in her lap and stared out over the water.

"Oh, she'll be fine. Paine was just joking." He didn't sound exactly sure of that. "Anyway… now that we've got more time, let's not waste it! What do you want to do?"

Yuna thought about that for a moment, then looked down at the water.

"How about a swim?" She said after a pause, and looked up with a grin.

"What do you think?" He matched her grin and reached for her hand.

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AN: So there you have it. A slightly lighter chapter than was probably expected, what with the whole temple quest thing. Next few chapters will probably be in this kind of tone. It's fun to write, and I think we've had enough dreary stuff for the moment.


	25. Chapter 24 An End In Sight

Not the longest chapter ever, or most interesting, and probably not the best, but… it's a real chapter, finally. The pages I uploaded the other day have been cleaned up a bit and added to a little. Can you believe it? A real update, finally. I can hardly believe it myself.

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Big huge thanks to Krissy for helping me get back on track with writing this, and helping me get past the writers block I had about where to go next with the story. And basically poking at me to get writing already. I think if I hadn't had someone to talk to about it, I might have never gotten going with it. And thank you everyone who still comment, and did comment.

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In any case, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I hope the chapter doesn't read too rusty. Slightly out of practice with this… Any problems, point them out, I'll correct them. I still plan to do the revised edition.

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Enough of that. FFX and FFX2 aren't mine, as usual, I just borrowed the stuff in them to make this.

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About future updates… will get them out faster. I have no excuses. I'm not even gonna try… life's insane but I should be able to balance this too, no? I'm trying. Trying harder. As soon as I brush up on a bit of FFX-2, mainly to figure out how to write O'aka and figure out a few details around that… I'll have the next chapter up. So – it shouldn't be long at all. I hope the bit added to this is enough to keep you busy for the next few days while I get that written… Won't be long, I promise, seriously, cross my heart, promise! There's nothing that can possibly keep me away from writing! No excuses! If I don't update within a week, you can pelt me with stones! (If that still doesn't sound very reassuring… How about this - half of the chapter is already written, I just need to write the bits with O'Aka before I can upload it. It'd be dreadfully chopped up and make very little sense if I put it up now… I'd rather avoid anymore confusing messy chapters… I know, excuses, excuses… But I really, really don't want the quality of this fic to go anymore down hill than it already has.)

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- Chapter 24 -

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"So… then what happened?" Tidus asked, grinning a little as he peered over at Yuna. She sat beside him on the sun-warmed docks, dipping her toes into the ocean and looking as if she were caught in some distant memory. Behind them the sun was setting, casting the last of it's light on their backs. The day had passed quickly, though neither of them had noticed. The small ordeal of the temple distant in their minds, they had enjoyed a sunny day of relaxation and fun. Both of them had seemed to forget anything else existed besides each other.

"Well…" Yuna said softly, leaning back on her hands that were braced behind her, "By that time, Lulu had noticed I was missing… She went to go get Wakka and the two of them started running around in a panic, calling my name. Kimahri was a little worried too, I think, though he never showed it. He was the one who found me, I guess he knew me better than I had thought. While Lulu and Wakka were running down to the beach to see if they could find me, he went straight into the temple. It didn't take him long to find me huddled up behind my father's statue… I was frightened, by then." She paused, and frowned a little.

"It wasn't a game anymore, because everyone seemed so worried. But Kimarhi wasn't angry, he just picked me up and carried me back out, never saying a word. It was Lulu and Wakka who were cross, when they finally came back… and of course, the priest…" Her voice trailed off, and she seemed to giggle a little in spite of herself.

"And?" Tidus perked up his eyebrows, leaning closer.

"Well… Then Lulu made me apologize to him, and I spent the rest of the week scrubbing his robes."

Tidus laughed, grinning broadly at her. "I never would have figured! Yuna, a trouble maker…"

"I was only eight!" She said defensively, blushing a little.

"Still…" He kept on grinning, idly kicking at the water below.

She blushed a little bit more, but then seemed to regain herself. Smiling, she pushed at him lightly with her hand. "I bet you were worse!"

Tidus laughed aloud again, shaking his head. "Yeah, I was a terror."

Yuna giggled. "Got any stories?"

"Lots." He smirked.

"You'll have to tell me sometime." She said with a smile, resting her head on his shoulder. "I think I hear the airship."

He blinked, and tilted his head a little to listen. After a moment, he could hear the faint sound of engines as well. Yuna closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around him, and he could almost feel how tired she was from the contact.

"Thank you." She said very softly, as he kissed her hair. "I had a lot of fun."

"Me too." He said quickly, almost too quickly, and he realized he wasn't too sure what to do next. He didn't want the day to end yet, he never wanted it to end. But the others were on the horizon now, and the sun was drifting away into the sea. It had been a good day, and he didn't think he'd ever forget it. Silently he made a promise for more days like it in the future, no matter what happened.

They sat there silently until the airship had landed in the water nearby, causing a rather large wave that swept through the entire village and bumped ships against the dock. Many people, who had been slowly making their way to their huts, came over to see what the commotion was about. Upon seeing Yuna and the Celsius, they seemed to look a little less worried. Though Tidus noted, a little unhappily, there were a few angry looking faces as they recognized the ship.

_'Well, I guess that's not a surprise.'_ He thought as he and Yuna stood up, walking over to the end of the dock where the ship was coming to a halt. Already the boarding ramp was lowering and Paine could be seen walking down it.

_'The Gullwings don't exactly have a good record with these people, from what Yuna said.'_ A while ago, before everything had happened, he probably would have thought it was funny. He would have been just like Rikku and Yuna, running around and causing messes. He remembered once, that it had been fun to do that sort of thing. But now it seemed to be slowly falling into the past, and he was more worried about Yuna's well being than getting attention. It was strange to realize, that he had changed a little, perhaps grown up. The change had started, he realized, when he'd first met Yuna.

"Hello Paine." Yuna said politely, but with a smile. The warrior looked in good humor for once, though tired.

"Hello." She said rather shortly, though not as coldly as she would to someone else. "You both ready to go?" She added, looking from her to Tidus with a faint hint of a smile.

"Yes, I think so." Yuna looked to Tidus as well, and he nodded.

"Yeah, I'm good to go."

Paine turned without a word and walked back up the ramp, ignoring the scowls and stares coming from the small group of villagers. Yuna looked back half way of the ramp and tried to give a reassuring smile, a half wave with her hand. Tidus noticed a few villagers faces softened, but only a few. The memory would take a while to heal, despite the fact she was the High Summoner. Things were changing fast in Spira, Tidus realized with a odd sort of twinge. Soon Summoners and Yevon would be a distant memory.

"Where's Rikku?" Yuna asked, as they all entered the elevator and watched the ramp lift back into place.

"Oh, up with everyone else. Buddy says the bandages can come off in a few days, but I don't think we'll be so lucky that Rikku will get over it that fast." Paine said with a half snort, crossing her arms and leaning on the wall.

"Did it really hurt her that bad?" Yuna frowned, looking quite worried.

"No, I think it was more the fall that caused the scratching." Paine said, and Tidus could swear she was almost smiling.

"Fall?" Yuna looked rather horrified at this.

"It's not that bad, Yuna. She only fell a few feet. It was the landing that did the most damage."

Yuna stared at Paine wordlessly.

"Ah… well, she landed on a sleeping fiend. One of those plants, you know, that shoot the seeds. It got pretty mad, and by the time I found her, she was pretty battered. Nothing serious, but it wasn't pretty."

"Poor Rikku…" Yuna sighed, clasping her hands together at her waist.

"Her pride took the worst beating, that's all." Paine shrugged, and turned as the elevator came to a halt.

"I bet she's going to be fun to be around." Tidus muttered faintly, unable to stop himself. Paine raised an eyebrow. Yuna apparently didn't hear him, and he decided it was probably for the best. The doors opened and the three walked into the hallway, Yuna quickly moving to the lead. Before Tidus was half way across the hall, Yuna was already through the door and almost tripping down the steps.

"Rikku? Rikku are you alright?"

Tidus entered the bridge just in time to see a large lump turn around and face the trio.

"Yuna?" Came a muffled voice from the lump, and Tidus was startled to realize it was in fact, Rikku, wrapped in a ridiculous amount of bandages. On closer inspection, Tidus discovered he could actually make out the form of Rikku, and parts of her weren't completely covered. Those parts were her face, her hands, and her feet. Had Tidus been not as tired as he was, he probably would have started laughing on the spot.

"Rikku, is that you?" Yuna frowned, clasping the Al Bhed's hand. "What happened?"

Paine sighed as if to say she had already explained that, but knew Yuna had to ask for herself anyway.

"A bird happened." Rikku muttered sarcastically, with a very sour tone in her voice. Tidus couldn't remember hearing her so irritated.

"Oh… dear." Yuna sighed, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Rikku. Are you in much pain?"

Rikku's face frowned, and one of her hands reached to scratch at the bandage. At this movement, Buddy suddenly shouted from where he was sitting, making Tidus jump.

"Rikku, don't pick at those! You have to let them heal!"

Rikku's frown deepened, and a bandage slipped down over her eyes. Muttering she pushed it back up and crossed her arms carefully. "I hate birds." She said, and Tidus didn't doubt it at all.

"So, where to now?" Buddy called from his seat, looking over to Yuna. She dragged her eyes off Rikku and blinked a few times.

"Well… the Mushroom Rocks, and Macalania."

"So, who's going where?" Paine tilted her head, her arms crossed casually.

"I guess since Rikku is… injured, maybe you two should take the Djose temple. You can speak to the Al Bhed, maybe they'll have seen it?"

"But… Gippal will be there…" Rikku said suddenly, staring at a spot on the wall. "I don't want him to see me like this! I'll never hear the end of it!" She cried unhappily, flinging her arms into the air.

"Rikku, what would you rather do? Go to Macalania and freeze to death in your bandages, or put up with Gippal?" Paine raised an eyebrow critically.

Rikku muttered something sullenly that Tidus gathered was something to do with freezing.

"Well, that's settled then." Buddy nodded, turning back in his seat. "Do you think you two can handle Macalania? The temple sank into the ice after it was abandoned by the Guado."

"We should be fine. We'll get some supplies from O'aka's shop nearby, so we can climb down to the ruins." Yuna spoke thoughtfully, as if she had already planned out what she was going to do. Tidus wouldn't have been surprised if she had.

"Sounds fine." Buddy nodded in agreement. "But if you run into any trouble, be sure to call us."

"It'll be no problem. We've gone through a lot already." Tidus gave one of his flashy smiles, looking over to Yuna. She smiled back, and nodded in agreement.

"So it's settled?" Paine tilted her head, looking around the room.

"Next stop, Mushroomy Rocks!" Brother shouted, making everyone jump. Tidus hadn't even seen him at his usual spot, he'd been so unusually quiet. Despite what had happened between them, Brother seemed much more cheerful lately, as if he had moved on with something.

"I'm going to bed." Paine shrugged, already on her way out of the bridge. "Good night."

"Goodnight, Paine." Yuna called after her, but she was already gone, and the door had closed behind her.

"Onto another adventure." Yuna sighed softly, to no one in particular.

…

…

…

…

…

…

Tidus watched Rikku and Paine exit the airship from the top of the ramp. Yuna stood a little ways down from him and calling out support to Rikku, who was still heavily bandaged and moving in a way that led Tidus to believe the Al Bhed was still quite grouchy.

"Here we go again." Paine said a little too loudly, when they reached the bottom of the ramp. The warrior crossed her arms and looked about rather guardedly, as if she expected another disaster to erupt as soon as the airship was out of sight.

The night had gone by uneventful. Tidus had awoken to a gray morning in the mushroom rocks, just in time to see Rikku and Paine off. Still a little drowsy from sleep, Tidus rubbed at his eyes as he looked around at the blurry terrain. He barely remembered the place; he hadn't exactly been paying attention too close when they'd passed through it two years ago. It hadn't been his favorite spot. Not with the event that had kept them all busy… The confrontation with Sin, the disaster of a battlefield… No, he was not very upset at all that he was missing out on another chance to see the place. He wasn't quite ready to relive those memories.

_'Anything to do with Seymour…' _He muttered to himself, rubbing at one of his eyes which wasn't quite ready to wake up.

Yuna turned then, and smiled up at him. He waved a little, yawning despite his best efforts to stifle it. She grinned, seemingly amused by the face he must have made.

Below, Rikku and Paine had reached the path leading to the temple, and were met by a small group of Al Bhed. Tidus was just about to turn away when he saw someone he recognized in the group.

"Well well! Look who's here!" A voice called, loud enough for Tidus to hear even though he was a fair distance away. The tall Al Bhed stopped in front of Paine and Rikku, and seemed to be smirking.

"What did I do to deserve the honor of your company… again?" He put his hands on his hips and seemed to be only looking at Paine, as if Rikku were invisible. By this time Yuna had turned again towards the group, and was watching just as intently as he.

"Hello, Gippal." Paine said curtly, as if she had already had enough of him.

"Well hello to you too, Paine. As cheery as ever… What happened today? Fall out of bed?" He was still smirking.

"Ran around chasing a bird, actually." Paine's tone had a considerable icy degree to it.

"… Guess it's not the time to ask about that one, huh?" Gippal seemed to get the hint, and finally turned to Rikku.

"Love the new look, Rikku."

In reply she spat something in Al Bhed that Tidus knew he'd heard before, and knew wasn't very polite.

"No, really! It looks great, I think you should stick with it. Guess that isn't hard though, since they're already sticking to you…" He started to laugh at himself but was interrupted by Rikku's foot coming down on his. He made a strangled yelp and stepped backwards quickly, gingerly rubbing his foot. "Ah, sorry." He said, so quietly Tidus barely caught it.

Rikku turned away and crossed her arms, and Tidus thought he could hear a faint stream of mutters coming from her direction.

"Hey, Yuna." Gippal shouted suddenly, waving up at her.

"Good morning, Gippal." Yuna called back, returning the wave.

"Don't worry, I'll take good care of your cousin. I won't let anymore birds get her." He was grinning, though standing noticeably further away from Rikku.

"Thanks." Tidus heard a grin in her voice, and then the conversation seemed to settle to an end. Paine spoke a few words that Tidus couldn't catch, and the group began to move away from the airship.

"I guess we better be off." Turning, Yuna's face seemed to lose a little bit of it's smile, as if she were bracing herself for an ordeal ahead.

"Yeah…" Tidus watched the others leave, heading towards the temple. Despite not wanting to see the area again, he was a little jealous Rikku and Paine's mission would be an easy one. With the Al Bhed and Gippal helping them, they'd probably find the sphere quickly. Where as with him and Yuna… Shinra hadn't been able to give them a clear reading on where the sphere was in the ruins. It wasn't an encouraging thought, but it had to be done, and with Rikku wounded, it was up to them.

"Everything alright?" Yuna frowned a little, taking his hand and giving it a light squeeze.

"Yep, everything's fine." He smiled, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. And it was, really, despite the fear he had about what could happen to her. "Let's get back to the bridge."


End file.
